Life in a coma: a unique case of self-healing Terry Wallis (6 photos)

How many people can stay in a coma? Several hours or even months. In rare cases, we are talking about years. And this guy managed get out of this state in almost 20 years.





On that ordinary summer day in 1984, the car of a young auto mechanic Terry Wallis from Arkansas went off the road and fell into break. Which is predictable: both the 20-year-old driver himself and his friend were in fairly drunk. A friend died on the spot. And Wallis fell into a coma. His discovered only a day later. The operation did not help: the brain of a young The person was severely injured. And the days and months dragged on. Eventually doctors suggested that the family think about disconnecting from the systems life support. Usually this is done in a year or a little later. But relatives asked to wait, because Terry is still so young. Got into debt to pay for the maintenance of his son's life. Pay for hope which may not have been destined to materialize.



Terry before the accident

What happened exactly 19 years later became a global sensation. The guy opened his eyes and turned to the nurse who entered the ward: "Mom." And then he asked for a drink. The doctors were amazed damage to the frontal lobes of the brain after trauma was critical. Namely these areas are responsible for mental activity, speech, memory.

After such damage, only minor improvement. There is no talk of a full restoration. Especially since the human brain loses the ability to change its structure by the period puberty. And Terry, although he was young at the time of the accident, was already mature adult.



No, an absolute miracle did not happen: seriously injured cognitive functions: the man suffered from memory lapses, could forget what what happened five minutes ago. He was unable to walk on his own. forever remained in a wheelchair.



With parents, daughter and granddaughter

The meeting with relatives was also amazing. He got to know his parents first sight. But meeting with an only child was a shock. Terry became a father a month and a half before the accident. And in his head it fit that this grown-up girl was his baby Amber, whom he remembered as a baby. Relatives convinced him with the help of a photo: here the girl goes to school, but down the aisle. The man was upset because he missed all the important milestones in the life of his child. And when I found out that Amber pregnant, and he will soon become a grandfather, he could not hold back his tears.

The wife did not wait for the end of the story with a coma and found another man, from whom she gave birth to three more children. And it's hard to blame her. doctors did not give any forecasts, and life is one and too short, to spend it on pointless waiting.



Interestingly, outwardly Terry after regaining consciousness looked like a 25 year old guy, not a man who is almost 40 years old. The internal organs also corresponded to the age of a maximum of 30 years.

MRI showed startling results: in his brain in literally grew new nerve fibers. Like the root of a tree new processes went - also new axons formed new ones connections, literally breaking their way through atrophied tissues.

Some ties subsequently collapsed, while others strengthened. Doctors came to the conclusion that in this way the brain created duplicate structures, and then got rid of those that did not function very well Fine.



Terry died in 2022, short of his 58th birthday. That is, after a 19-year coma, he lived for another 19 years. And his story has become foundation of scientific research. After all, Terry's example showed that the brain he can recover himself even after serious damage. All you need is understand the logic of these processes.