A man from Scotland woke up from his two-week coma convinced that he lived in California, had won thousands of dollars in the lottery and was going to meet singer Rihanna.
Mark Gibbs, 42, felt “gutted” when he came back down to Earth after five weeks — and is sharing his scary experience to warn others about the dangers of substance abuse.
“For five weeks I was convinced,” Gibbs told South West News Service about his post-coma reality. “At the time it did seem real.”
“The doctors never could give any reason,” he added.
In April, Gibbs was rushed to the University Hospital Crosshouse after he was found slumped over and unconscious in his shower by his mom, who came to his home to check on him after she hadn’t heard from her son in two days.
He had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction since he was 14 years old, and had drank too much when he was found by his mom.
“My mum found me slumped in the shower,” Gibbs told SWNS. “It was a matter of life or death.”
By the time he got to the hospital. doctors had figured out that Gibbs was suffering from kidney and liver failure due to his substance abuse issues.
He was then put into a coma, where he remained for two weeks.
The 42-year-old was told that he had suffered from two strokes, and had to stay in the hospital for eight additional weeks before he was allowed to return home.
But when he woke up, he was convinced that his life had changed for the better, and that he was the winner of over $63,000, among other delusions.
“I’m a walking advert for not taking drink or drugs,” he admitted.
Because of the strokes, he lost the use of his left arm, and still struggles with his speech.
“My legs are still weak,” Gibbs said. “I want to build them up to play football again.”
“The nerves are totally dead in my left arm and hand,” he said. “I can just twitch my fingers.”
However, there was a silver lining in all of this: Gibbs has been sober since April, as he described the whole ordeal as a “wake-up call.”
In 2021, 19-year-old Joseph Flavill woke up from his 11-month coma without even a memory of the coronavirus.
He had been in the coma since March 1, 2020, after suffering a traumatic brain injury when the student was hit by a car while walking in his hometown of Burton in the United Kingdom.
