A British teenager has awakened from an 11-month coma without any knowledge of the Covid-19 pandemic, even though having caught the virus himself.
Joseph Flavill, or in short Joe, was run over by a car while walking near his home in Tutbury, Staffordshire, on 1st March, just 3 weeks before the country’s first national lockdown was initiated.
Ever since then, the 19-year-old A-Level student has spent nearly 11 months in a coma, having or possessing no knowledge of the pandemic or feeling any impact Covid-19 has created on this world we all live in.
With great news, he is starting to manifest signs of healing by communicating through blinks and smiles while also moving his limbs on cue.
However, Joe was met with misfortune as his family are unable to pay him a visit due to the coronavirus restrictions. It is also hard for them to determine how well he recognises the current situation.
His aunty Sally Flavill-Smith stated, “It’s the best we have seen him recently. It might seem like little progress but the fact he can give the nurse a high five is a really big step“. She also mentioned how difficult it was for Joe’s mother not being able to be there for him.
“We also don’t know how much he understands as his accident was before the first lockdown and it’s almost like he has slept through the whole pandemic“, Sally stated. She also went on exclaiming how difficult it is to explain the current pandemic to “someone who has been in a coma?” Joe’s aunty also stated, “A brain injury is very much the unknown, so we haven’t been given an idea of what to expect really“.
After the accident last year, Joe was rushed and admitted to Leicester General Hospital and spent his entire six months in the hospital before he was shifted to Adderley Green, which is a neurological rehabilitation centre in Stoke-On-Trent.
Unfortunately, while deep in a coma, he contracted Covid-19 and was tested positive once again after waking up. But luckily, Joe was able to recover on both occasions and is currently taking “amazing steps“.
Joe’s aunty Sally mentioned, “At first his eyes were open but he wasn’t responding to anything, but over the last few weeks he’s taken amazing steps.”
She furthers her excitement saying, “He’s really trying to engage and blinks and smiles. He’s raising his limbs on instruction“. Joe was mentioned to be “making really good progress” and that the whole family has to try remaining positive. “He’s definitely making improvements“, said Joe’s Aunt.
Sharon, Joe’s mother was able to visit her son on his 19th birthday last December while remaining socially distanced and wearing full PPE the entire time she was with him. “At that point, Joseph wasn’t as aware as he is now, and I think she felt incredibly sad because she wasn’t sure that Joseph could even see who she was. She’d been waiting for months to be able to go and see him”
Before the tragedy, Joe was a sporty and active teenager who was due to receive his gold Duke of Edinburgh award last May.
The 19-year-old British had initially planned to take a year off to travel after finishing his A-Levels, so now about 100 of his family and friends are trying to walk, run, cycle, and row the equivalent of an around-the-world trip.
Joe’s family has set up a fundraising page to cover the cost of any upcoming treatments. So far, it has successfully raised more than £25,000 (RM138,030.68). You can visit it here.
Sources: The Lad Bible, The Guardian.
