[h2]Coma patient cries at fiancee's voice[/h2]
A teacher who had been in a coma for almost a year after a motorcycle accident in Bali began crying after hearing his fiancee's voice on the phone, reports The Telegraph.
Mathew Taylor, 31, who had been unconscious since suffering severe head injuries in a motorcycle accident in Bali last July, began crying after hearing his Indonesian girlfriend's voice on the phone while he lay in hospital in the UK - the first time he had shown any signs of recovery.
Mr Taylor had been teaching English in Indonesia and was planning to marry Handayani Nurul, known as Anda, when a motorbike crash left him critically injured. He underwent surgery in Bali for a fractured skull and he slipped into a coma and was returned to Britain, where doctors told his parents that their son may never regain consciousness.
His mother Heather said he showed no signs of movement until three weeks ago, when she called Miss Nurul in Indonesia.
"He had tears in his eyes as he held the phone to his ear,†Mr Taylor’s stepfather, Simon Moore, told The Telegraph.
“She asked him something and he said a silent 'yes’. Then tears were coming down his face. It was brilliant.â€
Mr Taylor's recovery has been hailed as a victory for "coma arousal programs" - methods of stimulating coma patients.
A spokesman for brain injury charity Headway told The Telegraph planned periods of stimulation in the form of sound, touch, smell and taste, combined with periods of complete rest in order not to overload the person's senses, could be successful in waking coma patients.
Mr Taylor's family had to raise £100,000 to pay for his medical treatment, which included having his eye socket reconstructed using a bone from his thigh, as he did not have insurance.
Miss Nurul, 27, was granted a three-month visa to visit her fiance, but after it expired she was forced to return to Bali, where she studies Dutch literature at the University of Indonesia.
Mr Taylor is now reported to be in a low-arousal coma, which means he responds to certain stimuli, and has slowly started to regain some movement.
Coma patient cries at fiancee's voice
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