July 10, 2003
MAN AWAKES AFTER 19 YEARS IN A COMA
If you awoke from a coma that lasted nearly for two decades, what would your first words be? "Mom" and "Pepsi" were the first things spoken by Terry Wallis, a 39-year-old Arkansas man who had been in a coma since a 1984 car crash. According to the Associated Press, Wallis was riding in a car with a friend on June 13, 1984, when their car plunged into a river, killing the friend and leaving Wallis a comatose quadriplegic. Then, on June 13, 2003 (yes, that's 19 years to the day), Wallis awoke, only to learn that his grandmother had passed away and that Ronald Regan was no longer President of the United States.
Think about what a mind-blowing experience it would be to basically be comatose for 19 years, and to then wake up with nothing whatsoever about your personal life or the world around you being the same. I can't even begin to understand what Wallis must be going thru right now, but I'm totally fascinated by the possibilities.
Co-worker Tom and I were talking about this yesterday afternoon. Tom commented that Wallis could be looking out a window and observe someone talking into their hand while it's up near their ear and mouth. To anyone else observing this scene, the person in question would be observed using cell phone, but to someone who just came out of a 19 year coma, who the heck knows what he's thinking or can make out of the situation.
What else has changed over the last 19 years that will totally blow Wallis away?
Posted by Mikal at July 10, 2003 6:28 AM
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Watch the Austin Powers movies - there's a great scene in which he catches up on things - he tries to play a CD on a record player, pumps a shoe until it explodes, and didn't see this one coming: Liberace was gay!
The ATM...that'll be a great experience. I imagine he will be shocked by the standardized menu of corporations offering goods and services. Where he likely had a great deal of local variety before, he will now have Chipotle, Noodles and Co, $tarbuck$, etc. The changing landscape of vehicles was the first thing that struck my mind, though. He last saw Gremlins and tanker-sized Lincolns. Now, he looks out the window to see G'd out Escalades (Cadillac as a truck?) rollin' on dubs, or the Honda Insite - the car of the future, now...hell...Diamler/Chrysler...that oughta shock em. Wait til he sees an in-dash DVD player or GPS powered navigation system. The PDA will likely freak him out as much as the cell phone.
Imagine, his thoughts on the World Trade Center. Mind Blowing... or, how we've come such a long way in politics and how open gay people are. He must be really wowing alot!!!
Imagine what he thinks about the War in Iraq! and the Gulf War...........
