14 Coma Stories You Won't Believe

Comas are very hard to understand, they can be so complicated. The definition of a coma is a state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be awakened. Sometimes they last days but they can go on for years. Comas are brought on by injury, illness, drugs, tumors, strokes, or occasionally you just have no clue. All comas center around some sort of injury to the brain. After awhile in a coma, a person is classified as being in a permanent vegetative stare. Pretty Scary! Even though they can be scary, there are some pretty amazing stories of recovery floating around out there. Even some well known celebs have survived comas and gone on to lead normal Hollywood lives. People are fascinated with comas. There are movies, books, and even games you can play where you navigate a comatose world. Here are some of the craziest coma stories you must check out!

14 Ben McMahon, Woke Speaking Mandarin

In 2012, Aussie Ben McMahon entered a coma after a car crash. Two years later Ben wakes up, but things aren't quite the same. His first recollection was seeing a nurse of Asian decent and asking her what happened, in Mandarin. Never fluent before, McMahon can now read and speak Mandarin. Mandarin Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn and somehow he just magically picked it up during a two year nap? Ben wasn't a total stranger to Mandarin. He had previously studied it in high school and been on a trip to China, but he insists he has never been fluent. Ben's new language led him to appear on a Chinese dating show called You Are The One. He found love with Feng Guo, a Chinese/Australian lawyer who also speaks Mandarin.

13 Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence once spent three days in a coma. That seems rather short compared to some of our stories, but what is extraordinary is how he got there. As a dedicated actor, Martin wanted to lose some major weight for a role. He decided to go jogging out in 100 degree heat. When Martin returned home his temp was 107 and he went into a heat stroke, ultimately causing the coma. His doctors say that the extreme temperature actually clogged his kidneys and this can happen to anyone suffering a severe heat stroke. At least nobody can say he lacks work ethic. Thankfully Mr. Lawrence made a full recovery and is back at his day job. Lets hope is never does something like that again!

12 Sarah Scantlin, The Real Life Sleeping Beauty

Nicknamed the real life Sleeping Beauty, Sarah Scantlin woke up after living for 20 years in a coma. In 1984 she was crossing the street when she was hit by a drunk driver. This left Sarah in a comatose state. In February of 2005, her parents received a telephone call from Sarah's hospital. She was waking up and even trying to speak. Jim and Betsy Scantlin never expected to be able to communicate with their daughter again."It was amazing. I'm in the living room. Betsy was in the computer area, and the phone rings… and suddenly, I'm aware that there's a profound, distinct difference. Rather than speaking about Sarah, it became very clear she [Sarah's nurse] was speaking to Sarah. It was the most amazing feeling in the world," he said. Though her speech is still impaired, Sarah is healing and has shared that she was able to see, hear, and understand during her 20 year coma!

11 Seth (Shifty) Binzer

Woke up in Prague this morning… #Blessed #CrazyTownFamily 💫The Czech republic

A post shared by Crazy Town X (@therealcrazytown) on Jan 17, 2017 at 9:09am PST

Best known for his band Crazytown, the star spent a few days in a drug related coma in April of 2012. Seth's drug addiction is well known to the public and it is widely suspected to be the cause of his coma. Shifty was a cast member of Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2 as well as Sober House 1 and 2. It appears he has made a complete recovery from the coma, though it's unclear if he still suffers from addiction. Seth has been married and divorced twice since spending time in a coma. He is currently touring with Crazytown and appears to have a new girlfriend (Brianne Emdy). Fans are rooting for Shifty and hoping that he is living a sober, healthy lifestyle.

10 Rom Houben, It Wasn't Really A Coma

This man's story is unbelievable! Rom was a victim of a car crash and doctors determined he was unconscious. For 23 years it was believed that Mr. Houben was in a coma. He says that he would scream to doctors but nobody would hear him. In 2006, some high tech brain scans revealed that he had relatively normal brain function! His mother states that she always believed this to be true but could never convince doctors. With the help of therapy, Rom has learned to communicate via computer. He was never able to move but could always understand everything that was happening leaving him feeling “alone, lonely, frustrated, but also blessed with my family.” The discovery of Mr. Houben's consciousness has led to doctors re examining over a dozen patients who could be suffering the same fate.

9 Tracy Morgan

Tracy's story is also quite extraordinary. After a near fatal accident in June of 2014, the comedian spent time in a coma and suffered various injuries. Morgan spoke with Oprah about his experience and stated that he went to heaven, and even met with his late father, Jimmy Morgan Sr. The 47 year old has spent years recovering from traumatic brain injury (tbi) as well as broken bones. Tracy said his father gave him some advice. “[He told me] I'm a fighter… I've got to get back to this little girl and my wife.” The comedian says that since the accident, something is different about him and he believes he will never be exactly the same again. The former SNL star is doing well and is currently embarking on his comedy tour entitled Picking Up The Pieces, which wraps up in March.

8 Jan Grzebski, A Coma, Cancer, and Communism

In 1988, this Polish rail worker fell into a coma after an accident. His story is remarkable in more ways than one. Initially Jan was given only two-three years to live after it was discovered that he had cancer. What luck! Cancer and a coma, how devastating. Despite his diagnosis, Jan lived in his comatose state for two decades. When he went to sleep, Poland was communist, food was rationed, and people waited in line for gas. He awoke to democracy and free market economy. "Now I see people on the streets with cell phones and there are so many goods in the shops that it makes my head spin." The ration books that were so important to him yesterday are now relegated to museums. His wife Gertruda was always convinced that he would recover someday and continued taking him to family events and talking with him normally all this time. Jan can vaguely recall some of their interactions.

7 Lamar Odom

The former NBA star's time in a coma has been widely publicized, as has his miraculous recovery at the hands of ex wife, Khloe Kardashian. Odom was found comatose in a Nevada brothel. After four days in a coma, Lamar awoke and said "Hey, Baby". He then embarked on a lengthy recovery that would take many months. Lamar says he was basically committing suicide. He felt his life was over after he and Khloe filed for divorce. Odom has since apologized to Khloe and vows to get her back. He is grateful she stood by him throughout his recovery and his attempt to achieve sobriety. Lamar has since completed a 30day stint in rehab. "She's been through all of this with me and she stood right by my side so I just wanna repay her." Now that Lamar has recovered, Khloe has finalized their divorce and moved on with another basketball star, Tristan Thompson.

6 Emma Mynors, A Coma And A Baby

The 23 year old mother was suffering pneumonia at 29weeks pregnant. She endured two strokes and ultimately fell into a coma. Her body swelled so much that doctors had to cut her wedding ring off of her finger. When Emma woke up a month later, she discovered that she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl.'When I woke from my coma, the nurses kept showing me photographs of this baby girl, and I had no idea who she was." Mynors had no recollection of being pregnant at all , though she did recall her husband and son. Nurses at the hospital didn't even realize Emma was in labor until the baby's head emerged. Her daughter, Amy, was a miracle baby who weighed only 3.5 lbs.'It's amazing to think how Amy came into the world. Even when I was unconscious, my body knew what to do. I'd love to be able to remember giving birth to her, but I'm just grateful that we are both alive and healthy now.'

5 Ozzy Osbourne

Are you ready to get back aboard the CRAZY TRAIN?! #tbt Concert dates announced for this summer! http://bit.ly/OzDates

A post shared by Ozzy Osbourne (@ozzyosbourne) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:14am PST

During an ATV accident in 2003, the Black Sabbath lead singer suffered a broken collarbone, fractured vertebrae, eight rib fractures, and a collapsed lung. Ozzy was in a coma for eight days following the accident. This was a devastating blow to the entire Osbourne family."You know, when you - you suddenly think well, what happens if my partner goes and I wake up in the morning and I'm on my own, and what do I do?" said Sharon. Kelly Osbourne was with her father at the time of the accident and believed he was going to die. This tragedy came during the same year that Sharon battled cancer and Jack revealed his battle with drugs. Kelly told fans that 2003 was "Hands down the worst year of my life". Thankfully, with rehabilitation, Ozzy was able to make a full recovery.

4 Emily Rand… Frat Party Knockout

19 year old collegiate beauty, Emily Rand of Rutgers University, landed herself in a coma during a frat party. Who knew partying was such a dangerous sport!?! Witnesses say that Emily threw the first punch, and a male partygoer retaliated. When he punched Emily, she fell to the ground hitting her head. It was all caught on Snapchat! Ms. Rand suffered a concussion, fractured skull, and a brain bleed eventually leading to a coma. Friends of Emily say that the males were calling them obscene names and their friend went to defend them. After investigating the video, police decided not to file charges, stating that both parties have some responsibility in her injury. After having surgery to relieve pressure on her brain, Emily is expected to make a full recovery. Party safe guys!

3 Ya Wen, The Addicted 3 Year Old

Chinese 3 year old, Ya Wen, was in a horrific traffic accident. The toddler spent 5 days in a coma after being hit by a speeding van. When she woke up, her mother says her personality was dramatically different and she began acting like an adult. Her mother caught her hiding in the bathroom smoking her father's cigarettes. She had seen cigarette butts in the toilet but assumed they belonged to her husband. A local store owner began giving the toddler cigs on credit, assuming she wanted them for her father. Her father gave up smoking to set a good example but claims the toddler still cries for them. If that wasn't enough, the little girl likes to drink beer too. Her mom says she can down up to three glasses with no problem.

2 Catholic Coma

A Catholic priest from the island of Java spent 17 months in a coma. When he woke, he expressed a desire to convert to Islam. Eduardo Vincenzo Maria Gomez states that Allah revealed to him the beauty of the heavens. The 87 Spanish priest has lived in Java for over 40 years and speaks fluent Javanese. He suffered cardiac arrest while working on the roof of his own church. Miraculously, he fell and did not sustain bodily injury. The priest states that he knows nothing of Islam and has never read the Quran. Of course, his followers were surprised though many have followed him in his conversion. They say they trust Father Eduardo and do not want to be misled on judgement day. He has already ordered a new mosque to be built on the island.

1 Wendy Richmond, The Sleeping Lover

Many people have a tough time saying the L word, but for 63 year old Wendy Richmond, it's much more complicated. This mom suffers from narcolepsy. Typically this causes people to feel sleepy, but for Wendy any emotion results in a full on faint. Not only can she not express loving emotions, she can't even laugh at jokes. When it happens, Richmond describes herself as a puppet whose strings have been cut. Her comas are more like fainting spells than full on comas, because she is still conscious. Wendy's condition has effected her relationship with her boyfriend and her first grandchild. She cannot openly show emotions, so she appears aloof and cold to others who don't understand. Her episodes generally last a few minutes. Mrs. Richmond began suffering with this condition in her teens, but was officially diagnosed in her thirties. She is currently seeking experimental treatments so that she can lead a normal life.