A STUDENT has awakened from an 11-month coma after a car accident without knowledge of the Covid pandemic.
Joseph Flavill, 19, was rushed to hospital after a serious brain injury when he was hit by a car on March 1 while walking in Burton, Staffordshire.
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A-Level student Joe, from Tutbury, fell into a coma three weeks before the UK went into its first national lockdown on March 23.
He received Covid in hospital twice, but recovered and has now come out of a second stage coma.
But it meant he had no knowledge of the pandemic that affected billions of people around the world.
He now responds to loved ones, who need to communicate with him on FaceTime.
‘INCREDIBLY HARD’
Only Joe’s mother has been allowed to visit under virus restrictions, with his relatives now wondering how to explain the Covid chaos of the world to him.
His Aunt Sally Flavill-Smith said he has taken “amazing steps” in recent weeks and now blinks, smiles and raises his legs on instruction.
She told Staffordshire Live: “It’s the best we’ve seen him recently. It may seem like a small improvement, but the fact that he can high five the nurse is a really big step.
“It is incredibly difficult that his mother cannot see him.
“We also don’t know how much he understands because his accident was before the first lockdown and it’s almost like he slept through the whole pandemic.
We also don’t know how much he understands because his accident was before the first lockdown and it’s almost like he slept through the entire pandemic
Sally Flavill-Smith, Joe’s aunt
“It’s difficult because we know he’s more alert, but how do you explain the pandemic to someone who’s been in a coma?
“A brain injury is largely the unknown, so we have had no idea what to really expect.”
Joe was at Leicester General Hospital, but moved to the Adderley Green Care Home in Stoke four months ago for neurological, physical and cognitive rehabilitation.
His mother was allowed to spend time at his house when he was nineteen
birthday, but had to remain socially distant.
Joe, who was at Ferrers Academy, caught Covid once while still in a coma and once after waking up, but is now making good progress.
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Sally said his face lights up when he sees friends and family on the FaceTime screen.
His family wants him to resume his physical therapy, which had to stop because of Covid.
He had wanted to take a year off to travel after his A-level, so now his family and friends are planning something special for him.
The fit and healthy Joe, who loved hockey, had waited before the accident to go to Buckingham Palace to receive his Duke of Edinburgh gold award.
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Family and friends have gathered and raised £ 33,000 to help Joe and his mother Sharon Priestley through the teen’s recovery.
About 100 fundraisers have collected 8,000 miles by cycling, walking, running, and rowing for a virtual journey around the world.
To donate to the fundraising campaign, please visit here or visit the website, which is here.
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