There was a kid who lived to 7 years old as a normal kid. Then he got hit by a car.
He was then in a coma, but his coma was different. His eyes were open. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. He was just a living corpse essentially.
He was just kept like that. For 30 some years until he was in his early 40s. Then, without explaination, he came out of it.
His mom was watching jeapardy, and she randomly hears him answer the tv "Who is Bill Gates?" which caused her to scream and run out of the room. Which caused him to scream, because he didn't know what was happening.
Eventually his mom came back in the room, and they were both surprised he was out of his coma.
Except here's the thing, his coma really was different. He was awake the whole 30+ years. He was aware of every single thing around him. One of the first things he said after all the calamity died down was "I miss ralph."
And ralph was a dog the family got when he was 15, already in his coma, and died a few years earlier. He never once got to pet this dog, who would curl up with him everyday. Ralph would stick his face into his armpit and russle his arm over him. And then just lay there all night.
His mom was surprised that he even knew ralph.
And the reason this story stuck with me, was he told his mom "there was a day, that sticks out in my mind. It will haunt me to the day I day. I've had nightmares countless times about this moment. It was a few years after my accident, and you came into the living room, saw me, and said why won't you just die already? You're making everyones life miserable!" Then she walked out of the room.
When he told her that, she began crying, and appologizing. She didn't remember saying that, but he never stopped thinking about it for 30+ years.
She obviously still loved her son. She cared for him the whole time. But it's juat that little moment of weakness you say the worst thing.
Anyways, back to jeapordy. When he answered the answer about bill gates, he didn't think anything different was happening. Everynight they watched jeapordy, and every night he'd answer......except it was in his own head. This time he said it out loud.
Source?
Apparently this condition exists and is called "locked-in syndrom", tho I don't know about the specific case mentioned here.
Closest match my quick search revealed was Martin Pistorius Not everything matches, this one was had locked-in syndrome for "only" 12 years, but the symptoms check out. Apparently there's a book about him called "Ghost Boy", so maybe that's where the other details are from.
Christine Waddel was the longest case of the syndrom I could find, paralyzed for 15 years.
I also found something closer to the 30 years claim, Rom Houben's story... Which was a horrible hoax. A man had been in a coma for 23 years, and a psychiatrist claimed that he was actually conscious. He was provided a communication facilitor, used to communicate via a keyboard, and he shared his whole story... But that was all fake, the psychiatrist or someone working with him was writing these messages. But for several years, people wrote about this and believed it, you can still find articles from 2008-2009 that don't really question the story. Maybe they're quoting this story without having seen the refutations; but this still would involve some additions or errors on their part (Rom never recovered, for one).
I’ve searched and the specific story OP recounted doesn’t appear to have a verifiable origin in documented medical literature or news reports. It seems to be a narrative that has circulated online, possibly as a modern urban legend or a piece of fictional storytelling. While there are documented cases of individuals regaining consciousness after prolonged periods and experiencing significant memory gaps, there is no credible evidence to support the sequence of events described in this account.
This. A hundred fucking times this. Why is this drivel not being called out? 🤣
I'm also a stranger without a source, but I recall seeing a YouTube video about it years ago, either a news story or documentary. I don't know if the exact numbers are right but I remember the other details. I'll have to see if I can find it.
Update: no idea. Can't find the original video. The one I remember, the guy had been awake the whole time but a nurse had figured out how to communicate with him through eye blinking, he remembers his mom's senseless comment years previous. OP might be mixing stories. I do vaguely remember ghost boy though.
There's no way that's real, it's an interesting concept though. Being trapped in your body and unable to interact with the outside world for decades would be horrifying.
When he told her that, she began crying, and appologizing. She didn’t remember saying that, but he never stopped thinking about it for 30+ years.
The axe forgets; the tree remembers.
That wasn't a coma, that was locked in syndrome, and it's fucking terrifying
Now you're making me wonder what this, plus having dementia would be like. Everyday you have no idea who you are, where you are, or who these people are that are ignoring you. Also, you can't move, or speak, and you don't know why.
Nightmare fuel...
Amazing. Is that book Ghost Boy? I've always wanted to read it.
I'm gonna need a source for this one. Care to share?
They'd be awake.
I think your question needs more context as to what you're curious about.
Oh, I guess if this was in the US they'd also be in crushing medical debt.
They'd be severely disabled for life, physically and mentally.
I think the question comes down to the fact they would have missed a great deal of education, both formal and informal. They would have a child's understanding and the world but have societal expectations of an adult.
I think their outcome would depend entirely on how wealthy the family were. If it were a rich family you would hope they would employ tutors and the like to support building the formal education and have a great deal of empathy and support to help with, for example, the social understanding.
If it were a family without this kind of resource, I could see the person becoming a reality TV 'star' in order to pay for some of this, with an excruciating and crushing public interest.
Another option I see is them being staying a long time in labs/hospitals, both for being helped getting back on tracks and being studied by scientists as this is a very rare and interesting case
They capable of perceiving outside themselves while in the coma?
Have you seen Kickin' It Old Skool?
