Life is like a paragraph. The initial letters of each word indicate the origin of life. The different letters of the alphabet indicate different obstacles and the full stop marks the ending of life. A punctuation mark, such as comma, can't finish the sentence, adding on to that, a comma marks an interval which is expected to be short and further adds a mystery in the sentence. Life too halts at a point when there is no way to go back in time. Even the future cannot be predicted. Coma is the state wherein the future relies on the present recovery. The person experiencing it is neither considered living nor stated dead.
Getting out of this state is itself a blessing. Imagine a person comes out of this state and with that, the person discovers he is not he used to be at least not a part of him. Isn't that fascinating? One such incident happened with a footballer named, Rory Curtis, which took his life altogether on a new track.
Rory Curtis is a young boy of 25, addicted to football. He used to be a striker by position and was looking forward to having a bright future in this field only. He was a budding star and his evolution as a pro soccer player was not way far. But his life took a different path when he met with a drastic accident that broke his dream and bones as well.
Rory used to be crazy for soccer. He was blessed with good skills and fluid technique for the game and his uncontrollable love for this game was elevated the confidence, cheering him every time to win the game and polishing his skills to play better every day. All he loved to do was juggle the football.
The best thing ever a footballer can think of is the pitch and the showers of rain. Rory was fortunate enough that during his training sessions he got to experience that mesmerizing moment. He proved himself by scoring the maximum number of goals that day.
The showers of rain soon started unleashing their wrath. The sprinkling showers showed no more decency and poured down forcefully as if it was in a hurry to meet the earth. The merciless rain made Rory leave for home as he could not play in that condition, so he packed his bag and went to the parking area to fetch his car.
It seemed as if the roads were weeping and asking Rory not to go any further, but Rory was a man who loved to take challenges in life. No matter how much the rain tried, he drove on and on. He thought he had good control over his gears and steering. He did well to an extent but he lost it all when the roads became more slippery.
Rory's car was all airtight. To keep himself dry, he closed all the windows and doors. He thanked God that he had a car. In a hurry to reach home early, he drove as fast as he could. His windshield became cloudy and he hardly could see anything through it which made it more difficult for Rory to drive the car.
Rory could not see a massive truck coming from the opposite direction. He was in a real hurry and so was the truck driver. Rory's car got hit with the six-wheeled giant truck. The worst part was that the truck fell on the car making the car dilapidated and Rory was stuck inside the car with no way to escape.
Later, firefighters rushed to the scene. They tried every possible way to drag Rory out of his car. Initially, everyone thought that he would be dead for it was a severe crash, but, as usual, Rory did not fail in surprising people. He was very much alive. He survived the accident but was unconscious.
The Emergency medical technicians checked Rory's entire body and decided that he needed a treatment that too on priority. There could be traces of trauma as well as Rory had experienced that accident. Hence, they radioed in a helicopter and Rory was flown to a nearby hospital for the treatment to be done.
As soon as Rory reached the hospital, he was taken to the operation theater and was kept under observation. Rory was physically all damaged which could be cured but the doctors were more afraid of the internal injuries. They were doing their best to bring out every single fracture of his body, therefore, they examined Rory meticulously.
The doctors, after analyzing, concluded that the football star suffered a multifocal intracranial brain hemorrhage. His brain was swelling fast and the blood was pooling in his head. He was in a critical condition and doctors had no other choice than to place him in the state of coma.
Doctors were very sure that the only thing that could save Rory was none other than a miracle. It sounded crazy then, but the miracle was the only thing Rory's parents were relying upon. The young footballer was the only child to his parents and this is the reason why his parents believed in all these.
Rory's family was prepared for a long wait. They could wait for months and years. All they want was Rory. His parents were optimistic and were ready to take care of their beloved son until he regains his consciousness. They never listened to their relatives and waited with utter patience.
The young footballer was being missed by everyone, especially by his team. The grounds became vacant when he was in the coma state. He used to bind his team together and was the sole reason why their practices were held on time. The coach was equally upset seeing the future of football game bedridden.
Rory spent his three days not being active physically. Being a sports enthusiast it was a matter of shame that he wasted his three days lying on the same bed when he could have utilized it in his training. Had he been conscious enough, he would have run to the field juggling the football or aiming at the goalpost. He could do nothing in this scenario making him vulnerable.
Rory's parents did as much as they could. They never gave up on their child. On seeing that condition of Rory, they made themselves strong by remembering the childhood of Rory. This gave them lots of strength to withstand that hard time and encouraged them to be more strong-willed than they were ever before.
It was the sixth day for Rory in the hospital. Although it was a new day for the world, Rory was not able to sense anything. For others, he was a dead man with a pumping heart. Whereas, Rory's parents never treated their only child that way. His parents never lost their faith and tried everything in their power to bring Rory back to life.
Every single day, Rory's parents used to face some sort of monotonous questions like, "When is he going to gain consciousness?" "Is he going to continue his football career once he wakes up?" "Are you guys not tired of taking care of the child?" and many more. Rory's parents used to avoid these questions as much as they could but could not escape from these.
On the seventh day of hospitalization, doctors came across an astonishing recovery made by Rory Curtis. Doctors were perplexed, yet keeping aside that disconcert, they started examining the young man. They did not expect Rory to convalesce that fast. Hence, they took this case under critical observation and got started with it.
On being asked about how he felt, Rory answered every question of the nurse which made the nurse quite satisfied. Rory's parents were called and his regain of consciousness became a cause of his parents' euphoria until his parents were asked a question about their first language.
Rory when started answering the nurse used French as a language. According to Rory's parents, they did not have any connection with France and for that matter "french". Rory was introduced to this language when he was in 9th grade and back then, he could not even grasp the basics. How was he able to speak french? Was that his hidden talent? Was he possessed? The answer was yet to be discovered.
For Rory, everything seemed to be alright but for his parents, the world was no less than a living hell. They raised their son with affection and care, inculcating British values in him. Though they were happy on seeing their child alive, they still were confused about the language he used. So, they decided to fetch more details regarding it.
Neither Rory nor his family ever visited France. They never got an opportunity to visit the place as the family was so engrossed in their daily routines that the idea of having a tour never was discussed. Moreover, they never discussed that country as they hardly made time to have a casual conversation.
Rory's parents were sure that Rory never had that much inclination towards that language. His mother added, "His only experience with the language had been way back in the 9th grade, and even then, he barely managed to grasp the basics". This condition was getting other-worldly for his doctors and his parents.
Though the condition was unfathomable on how he was being able to speak French with that fluency, the doctors convened on this matter and stated that Rory was suffering from "Foreign Language Syndrome". It was hard to believe for his parents but somehow the doctors managed to convince them.
Foreign language syndrome is considered to be a rare condition that is caused by a person who has experienced severe head trauma. In this condition, the brain attempts to reboot and latches onto whatever undamaged information it could find. It could be a memory, a person, or even a language.
Rory was still speaking his French accent and following the medicinal routine. His body was getting better day by day. The outer body was being treated by the doctors which inturn left scars which he flaunted afterward. He considered his scars as beautiful and own them without getting bothered about them.
Rory's case was an unusual one since French fluency was a matter of concern. Adding more to this, one more shocking aspect came up and this was craziest of all. Rory was convinced that he was none other than Hollywood star, Matthew McConaughey. Well, it sounded crazy but he was under this impression back then.
The young footballer had no idea about his past career and was believing himself to be a Hollywood star. He even asked the doctors the date of discharge so that he could get back and shoot. He had no faint idea of what he was up to. His parents were so distressed after seeing their only kid like that.
The condition of Rory was inconclusive, hence, after the news of Rory being McConaughey broke out, his parents were approached by the Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Center. Although there was no guarantee of the treatment, they offered to treat Rory anyhow.
Rory was again set under medication. To the doctors' surprise, the intake of medicine was showing some results. After two months of rehabilitation, Rory was allowed to go home. As he was recovering day by day, he eventually got to know the fact that he was not Matthew McConaughey.
Rory was a footballer back then. He could not go back and start playing the game as he used to play. He is advised not to get indulge in any kind of heavy exercise, so, he is restricted to play football. He developed entirely different interest, that is haircutting.
Rory's fantastic story went viral worldwide, hence, he was called up for an interview with a British Television program named "This Morning". Rory, along with his parents went there and discussed what so ever happened to him.
In an interview with Daily News, Rory stated, ''I can't explain how it happened. It's incredible really. I don't remember coming round but my family said one of the nurses was from Africa and spoke French and I was having conversations with her. I was just casually chatting away about how I was feeling in this perfect French accent." That was the turning point for Rory's life.
Rory revealed that he did not remember the events that took place in his life 3-4 years before the accident. He said, ''I'd ask Mum if she'd fed our dog but he'd died three or four years before. As soon as she said that I cried, too. Then my memory clicked in and I thought, 'Oh yeah, what was that all about?".
Curtis explained that he has gone through a lot and shared his experience. He was not able to do trivial stuff like making a line. He stated, "they'd ask me to do simple things like draw a line from A to B and I'd be thinking, 'Are you serious?' Then I'd find it really difficult". He added, "it was like my brain was playing catch-up with my hand".
Rory's family was already told that everyday activities such as dressing up would be difficult and that he would suffer from short-term memory. So, his mother used to help him with that. He had no clue about his identification. In an interview, he said, "I remember Mum helping me to the toilet and I couldn't believe who I was looking at when I saw myself in a mirror. I had a scar on my right temple and that side of my hair had been shaved off".
Luke Griggs who is a spokesperson for brain injury association Headway stated, "waking from a coma is not how it's often portrayed in the movies. It can be a very gradual process, with the patient suffering bouts of confusion and disorientation as the brain tries to recover some functionality."
He further added, "after a coma, during a period known as post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), the patient's behavior may well be restless, disinhibited and agitated for example, with uncharacteristic behavior not uncommon".
Luke Griggs explains "while different parts of our brain are responsible for different things, all parts of the brain are interconnected. Damage to one part of the brain can lead to increased activity in other parts of the brain, which can sometimes result in surprising and unexpected effects. The reality for most, however, is that the recovery journey from a brain injury can arduous and last a lifetime with patients often faced with having to relearn the most basic of life skills."
Rory had to give up on his dream of being a professional football player because of the injury. Now, he is working as a barber in his hometown. People love to listen to his story and notice his ability to speak French fluently. He is content doing his work, moreover, he has mastered this art and is happy.
Rory's life changed entirely after the incident. He learned the value of life. In this regard, he says, "the accident changed my outlook on life. I can't leave the house now without telling everyone I love them and giving them a hug".