THE RECORD, HACKENSACK, N.J.

Struggling with traumatic brain injury, Michael Nepola of Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J. sometimes has trouble finding the right words to describe his life. But he's clear about what he has to say to the students to whom he is telling his story.

Life-changing disaster awaits the drunken driver. And he is proof.

At just 18 years of age, he could be a classmate or a friend, and that familiarity adds to the power of his words. He has spoken to more than 2,500 high school students so far, and he has noticed their unusual silence.

"A lot of teachers say, 'Don't drink,' but I'm not going to say that, because I know that [students are] going to do it," says the Ho-Ho-Kus resident. "I just say, 'Don't get in a car.'"

One year ago, a drunken Nepola lost control of his car and was thrown into trees 20 feet away. He was found covered in blood, with many bones broken.

At Hackensack University Medical Center, his skull was opened to relieve pressure on his brain. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and remained in a coma and on life support for nearly three weeks.

It was summer. Moments before the crash, he had been with friends, drinking and having fun. Then restlessness got the best of them, and they hopped into the car.

Two passengers escaped unscathed, but for Nepola, life would not be the same. His doctors were left guessing at his future. His family was horrified and shocked.

At Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. physical therapist Erin Leahy initially found Nepola unable to move the right side of his body. But by the end of his six-week stay, he was able walk out of the building.

Leahy called that an inspiration and a miracle. Nurse Meliam Gonzalez, the trauma prevention coordinator and clinical educator at Children's Specialized who organizes Nepola's speaking engagements, refers to him as a "superstar" -- transformed from a boy involved in a car crash to a young man. And his family calls him a hero.

But Nepola's recovery is incomplete. Brain and muscular therapy has helped him regain movement in his right arm, but he still struggles with his right hand.

In the process of recovery, Nepola has thought deeply about what happened and why, and decided to share his story. Encouraged by his trauma doctor, Sanjeev Kaul, he teamed with Gonzales and began attending assemblies in April.

He said he was nervous at first, but has grown used to the spotlight. And his rehabilitation and visible trauma help him draw serious attention from students. Besides, "I'm not a wall," he said. "I feel like I know how to talk to people."

Driving drunk, he tells students, is like playing Russian roulette: "You might do it a bunch of times, but something is going to happen."

Before the crash, he says, he lived moment to moment. He didn't care about the future or college. He liked to have fun and was the "craziest kid" -- a thrill-seeking all-around athlete in great shape with a lot of friends. Now, his days are all about therapy, work and going to the gym. It's a simple life, but it's OK, given what he has experienced.

Mentally, he says, "I'm a lot happier in my life."

His odyssey is chronicled in a video, available on his Web site: onebadecision.com.

Dad John Nepola says there have been some low times, but Michael's made it through.

"He was a fighter," said John Nepola. "We're all really proud of him."