A British student woke up from an 11-month coma after a car accident, unaware of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Flavill, 19, from the UK, was rushed to the hospital after suffering a severe brain injury when he was hit by a car while walking in Burton, Staffordshire, on March 1, The sun reports.
Tutbury level A student Joe fell into a coma three weeks before the UK plunged into its first national confinement on 23 March.
He caught COVID twice in the hospital, but he recovered and now came out of a stage two coma. But that means he is unaware of the pandemic that has hit billions of people around the world.
He is now responding to his loved ones, who must communicate with him on FaceTime.
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‘INCREDIBLY HARD’
Only Joe’s mother was allowed to visit him under virus restrictions, with his relatives now wondering how to explain COVID’s worldwide chaos to him.
His aunt Sally Flavill-Smith said he had taken “incredible steps” in the past few weeks and is now blinking, smiling and raising his legs in instruction.
“It is the best we have seen recently. It may seem like little progress, but the fact that he gives the nurse a high five is a big step, ”she told Staffordshire Live.
“It is incredibly difficult for his mother not to be able to see him.
“We also don’t know how much he understands what his accident was like before the first blockade and it’s almost as if he slept through the entire pandemic.
“It is difficult because we know that he is more alert, but how do you explain the pandemic to someone who is in a coma?
“A brain injury is very unknown, so we were not given an idea of what to really expect.”
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Joe was at Leicester General Hospital, but moved to Adderley Green Care Home in Stoke for neurological, physical and cognitive rehabilitation four months ago.
His mother was allowed to stay with him at home on his 19th birthday, but he had to remain socially aloof.
Joe, who studied at The de Ferrers Academy, caught COVID once while he was still in a coma and once after waking up, but is now making good progress.
Sally said her face lit up when she saw friends and family on the FaceTime screen.
The family wants him to restart physical therapy, which had to stop due to COVID.
He wanted to take a year off after A-level to travel, so now his family and friends are planning something special for him.
Fit and healthy Joe, who loved hockey, was waiting to attend Buckingham Palace to receive his gold award from the Duke of Edinburgh before the accident.
Family and friends came together, with more than $ 59,000 raised to help Joe and his mother Sharon Priestley recover the teenager.
About 100 fundraisers have accumulated 12,000 km of cycling, walking, running and rowing on a virtual trip around the world.
You can donate through the GoFundMe page or the Joseph’s Journey website.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission