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'I woke from 6-month coma with no memory of what happened, then nurse dropped bombshell'

John Pennington woke from a six-month coma after a devastating car accident left him with a traumatic brain injury only to face heartbreaking news soon after opening his eyes

[He was in a coma for six months (stock)]

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He was in a coma for six months (stock)(Image: Getty Images)

A man who awoke from a six-month coma with foggy memories has shared what the experience was really like. John Pennington's life was turned upside down when, at the age of 30, he suffered catastrophic injuries in a car crash that left him in a coma.

John, from Las Vegas, sustained a traumatic brain injury and collapsed lungs amongst other serious injuries. Recounting the moment he regained consciousness on Reddit, he said: "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 apologise and explain that for the past six months, I had been in a coma due to a very severe traumatic brain injury."

The shock didn't end there, as John was subsequently hit with an eye-watering $2.5m (roughly 2m) bill for his hospital stay, not including the extra costs from two separate rehabilitation stints.

Keen to shed light on his ordeal for others, John launched a Q&A session on Reddit. One user asked whether he'd noticed any major personality changes following his trauma.

John responded: "I don't believe I have any personality changes with the exception of going through this whole experience and the emotional and psychological effects it's had on me."

Another user asked: "What was the world event that happened while you were comatose that shocked you the most when you came to hear of it?"

Tragically, he disclosed that when he regained consciousness, his first thoughts were of his father, and for weeks nobody would provide him with a straight answer.

He said: "It was tough feeling like I upset him or he couldn't handle seeing me like that. My sister told me four weeks after waking up that our father had killed himself.

"He couldn't handle everything going on and took his own life. That guilt followed me throughout my recovery [...] I learned a bit more about suicide and it helped me finally forgive myself. Was there a reason to blame myself? No.

"Some drunk kid driving his father's BMW with no headlights wrecked into my buddy and me causing the traumatic brain injury, but I couldn't shake that feeling for some time."

In a follow-up post, John clarified that he'd initially set up a GoFundMe page to cover his medical bills, though it didn't raise much. Thankfully, his solicitor intervened to help sort out the finances.

He continued: "My lawyer did a great job getting everything paid though. I was relieved when he told me it worked out. I didn't get rich, but if you considered how much I owed. I kinda did."

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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