Teen Returns to Volleyball After 6 Brain Surgeries

While unconscious in a hospital bed, Aileen Xue instinctively passed a volleyball her father placed in her hand into perfect position.

It was March 2024 when the Hillsborough High School senior's life changed forever. After spending time with friends, she never came home, and her parents couldn't reach her phone.

"I dialed Aileen's phone more than 20 times," her father Stephen said. "Finally, someone answered and said, 'This is the policeman, and they have a serious accident.'"

An off-duty first responder found her at the crash scene. Her mother Ning Lee calls his presence at that exact moment "another miracle."

Xue spent more than 200 days in the hospital and underwent six brain surgeries. She had to relearn everything from scratch: walking, talking, even eating.

"It was almost like I was a baby," she said. "My mom has shown me videos, and I've seen the first time I ever spoke again."

Before the accident, Xue had her future mapped out. She held an offer to play volleyball at NYU and an invitation to join Taiwan's Under-18 national team.

Her body remembered the sport even when her mind couldn't. That unconscious volleyball pass became the foundation of her physical therapy, helping rebuild years of muscle memory.

Why This Inspires

Xue's story shows how passion can become medicine. The sport she loved didn't just define her before the accident; it literally helped rewire her brain during recovery.

Her coach Cheryl Iaione watched her return to the court last fall with pure joy. "She just ran onto the court and was so happy and carefree," Iaione said.

For Xue, stepping back onto the court meant reclaiming her identity. "It felt super invigorating, almost like I was myself again," she said.

Now a high school senior awaiting college decisions, she hopes to major in psychology. She wants to use her journey to help others navigate their own recoveries.

Her family still calls her survival and recovery a miracle, and Xue credits volleyball as her lifeline through it all.