Miracle man who awoke speaking after 19-year coma, dies in ArkansasBy Kerry J. Byrne
April 2, 2022
A real-life Rip Van Winkle, who survived a deadly car crash and then startled the world when he awoke from a 19-year coma and began to speak, has died.
Terry Wayne Wallis, 57, passed away Tuesday in Searcy, Ark., an obituary confirms.
Wallis was driving with a friend in 1984 when their car plunged into a creek, killing the pal and rendering Wallis a comatose quadriplegic with little hope of recovery. His daughter, Amber, had been born just six weeks before the horrific accident.
Nineteen years later, in June 2003, Wallis opened his eyes and stunned nurses when he asked for his mother and his favorite soft drink.
“He started out with ‘Mom,’ and then it was ‘Pepsi,’ and then it was ‘milk,’” said Alesha Badgley of the Stone County Rehabilitation Center, the Post reported at the time. “Now, it’s anything he wants to say.”
Wallis’ family was overwhelmed by emotion when he finally awoke.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/04/02/man-who-awoke-speaking-after-19-year-coma-dies-in-arkansas/