A man who was in a coma for six months has revealed how he was given some truly heartbreaking information when he woke up, saying it proved to be the ‘toughest thing’ to deal with.
John Pennington initially thought he had to get up to go to work when he finally woke up, having been in a coma for several months after suffering a severe brain injury.
In a previous interview with MEL Magazine about his experience, he recalled how he realised his arms and legs were tied down and called for the nurse, whose teary reaction was so confusing that he thought he ‘must have definitely killed someone’.
Thankfully, when she returned, she explained she had ‘just needed a minute’ as Pennington had been in a coma for six months, and that doctors feared he’d ‘end up a vegetable’.
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Pennington has now hosted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) through the magazine, providing more detail about his ordeal.
In his introduction, he explained: “One day in 2015 I woke up thinking it was time to go to work, but for some reason, found myself strapped to a bed in the hospital. When I met eyes with the attending nurse and asked if I could use the bathroom, she teared up and ran out of the room - only to come back a few minutes later to apologize and explained that for the past six months I had been in a coma due to a very severe traumatic brain injury.
“The neurologist said if I did eventually wake up, I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything. You can read the full story in great detail over at MEL Magazine, and be sure to visit the subreddit r/TBI, a community of support, awareness, and information about traumatic brain injuries.”
But as if the coma itself wasn’t traumatic enough, Pennington went on to receive news that proved to be an even greater ‘shock’.
When someone asked about the ‘biggest surprises’ he learned of after waking up, he said: “My father committing suicide was the biggest shock.
“Everything else I carried the attitude that I'll deal with it. Losing my father was the toughest thing. Not the car, not my place, not my computer, but My Pops.”
He added: “I still celebrate his birthday and buy him a cake. My fat a** eats it, but I even serve his slice on his plate. My slice on mine.”
Pennington said there had been 'other issues' going on within the family as well as him being in a coma, saying his sister was struggling with drug addiction at the time and that their father had been trying to help her pay rent.
"Thinking about everything he was going through, and being an old man at that time, I can see how the strongest man I ever knew took his own life," he wrote.
"He was the only man that could."
Pennington's sister also commented on the thread to say she is now 'sober for 6 years', adding: "One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was tell you that our dad died and how he died."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
Jess Hardiman