A British student woke up from an 11-month coma after a car accident, without knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Flavill, 19, from the UK, was rushed to hospital after a serious brain injury when he was hit by a car on March 1 while walking in Burton, Staffordshire. The sun reports.
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 stage two 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.
RELATED: Medicine Student Dies After Reporting Sexual Assault
‘INCREDIBLY HARD’
Only Joe’s mother has been allowed to visit him under virus restrictions, while his relatives are now wondering how to explain to him the COVID chaos in the world.
His Aunt Sally Flavill-Smith said he has taken “amazing steps” in recent weeks and now blinks, smiles and raises his legs on instruction.
“It’s the best we’ve seen him recently. It may seem like a small progress, but the fact that he can high five the nurse is a really big step, ”she told Staffordshire Live.
“It’s incredibly difficult that his mother can’t 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.
“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 virtually unknown, so we have no idea what to really expect.”
RELATED: ‘Only the Flu’ Left the Healthy Man in a Coma
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 be at his home on his nineteenth birthday, but had to remain socially distant.
Joe, who studied at The de Ferrers Academy, received COVID once while still in a coma and once after waking up, but is now making good progress.
Sally said his face lights up when he sees friends and family on the FaceTime screen.
His family wants him to restart 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.
Family and friends have gathered, with more than $ 59,000 raised to help Joe and his mother Sharon Priestley through the teen’s recovery.
About 100 fundraisers traveled 12,000 km cycling, walking, running, and rowing for a virtual journey around the world.
You can donate through the GoFundMe page or through the website, Joseph’s Journey.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and is reproduced with permission