Ark. Man Wakes After 19 Years in Coma

AP via Earthlink ^ | July 9, 2003

[Pest]

Ark. Man Wakes After 19 Years in Coma

July 9, 2003 07:56 AM EDT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. - The words began tumbling out - at first just a few nouns and eventually a torrent of phrases.

Terry Wallis, who had been in a coma since a 1984 car accident, regained consciousness last month to the surprise of doctors and the delight of his family, including his mother, who heard his first word in 19 years.

"He started out with 'Mom' and surprised her and then it was 'Pepsi' and then it was 'milk.' And now it's anything he wants to say," Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center social director Alesha Badgley said Tuesday.

His mother, Angilee Wallis, called her son's return to consciousness a miracle: "I couldn't tell you my first thought, I just fell over on the floor," she said.

Terry Wallis, now 39, was riding with a friend in July 1984 when their car left the road and plunged into a creek. Wallis and his friend were found the next day underneath a bridge. The friend was dead and Wallis was comatose.

Wallis' daughter, Amber, was born shortly before the accident, and the coma dragged on for almost two decades. She is now 19 and her dad has said he wants to walk again, for her. He is a quadriplegic as a result of the crash.

"It's been hard dealing with it, it's been hard realizing the man I married can't be there," said Wallis' wife, Sandi. "We all, the whole family, missed out on his company."

The silence ended June 12 when Wallis uttered his first word. He was able to talk a little more a day later and has improved ever since.

Terry's father, Jerry Wallis, said his son talks almost nonstop now, but it seems as though time stopped for him after the wreck. Terry still believes Ronald Reagan is the president.

Terry has asked to speak to his grandmother, who died several years ago, and even recited her phone number - something everyone else in the family had forgotten.

"You see, he's still back in 1984," said Jerry Wallis.

For the Wallis family, Terry's return to consciousness has been a blessing.

Perry Wallis, Terry' brother, said "just to put it bluntly, it was pure hell to see your brother laying there, not knowing if you'll ever talk to him again."

The timing of the recovery also has raised eyebrows.

"It's kind of peculiar. He wrecked on Friday the 13th and 19 years later he started talking on Friday the 13th," Jerry Wallis said.

[Admin Moderator]

You see, that's the problem with me letting you hang around a while. You never stay in one place.

[Vesuvian]

From the CNN article...

In fact, the parents said, Terry was never seen by a neurologist after the accident.

"They told us it would cost $120,000 just to evaluate him to see if he could be helped, and we didn't have that kind of money," said Jerry, who is a farmer. His wife works in a shirt factory.

Attempts to get Medicaid to pay proved fruitless. "They said the government will not put out that kind of money on no more chance than he's got to re-enter the workforce."

As a result, their son was never evaluated, he said.

Really makes you wonder about things.

[DonQ]

Gee, he's been in a coma since 1984. Some one will have to tell him that George Bush became President, put the economy in the dumper, attacked Iraq without an adequate result, and covered up for various corporate and intelligence misdeeds ... and then tell it to him a second time.

[BibChr]

I had a similar thought: the upside is, he missed Clinton.

Imagine him, thinking Reagan is Pres, hearing about the entire Clinton saga. The phrase one expects again and again is, "You are KIDDING me."

Or words to that effect.

Dan

[Fudd]

"Terry, it's 2003. The best golfer in the world is a black man. The most popular Rapper is a white man. The biggest star in the NBA is Chinese".

Imagine his shock!

[dead]

And the richest man in the world is a computer dweeb.

[NCC-1701]

The interminable Florida recounts!

Welcome to the 21st Century, Terry! Glad you made it back.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

GO TIGERS!!!!

you have no idea how big of a smile you just got outta me for that! oh god i miss those days,being a lil boy and mom and dad (who are now seperated) taking me to go see sparky and the boys kick some butt! on that ever so hallowed ground of michigan and trumbull,(which granhold now wants to destory)

[Blueflag]

Wait until he sees a 2003 NBA uniform and the playground style of play.

[Aquinasfan]

Wow!

[Mr. K]

And then tell him Bill Clinton raped several women and still became president, then lied under oath and was impeached, sold secrets to china, killed vince foster, used the lincoln bedroom as a for-profit bed and breakfast...

[NCC-1701]

The Dallas cowboys winning 3 Super Bowl titles in four years, an NFL recod.

Tampa Bay winning it's first SB trophy.

Houston Oilers moving to Tennessee and becoming the Titans.

The USFL

Finding the Bismark,the Hunley,& PT-109

The DVD recorder that will replace the VCR

A lot of dreadfull movies (Godzilla 2000, The Spice Girls, etc).

And as others have mentioned, the entire clownton/bore nightmare.

[Blueflag]

DonQ --

Why lie to him right off the bat.

Ever get tired of spounting liberal diatribe?

Just a thought.

[Blueflag]

Oops. My bad. You mean George Bush 1.

I retract my remarks to you.

[barker]

Just to liven things up a little, Go Royals1 ;-)

Good luck the rest of the year when you aren't playing us.

[barker]

Stupid typo
1 = !

[Mmmike]

Bill Buckner's ground ball error in the World Series...

[Onelifetogive]

When the speech therapist asked him what she could do for him, "He told her, 'Make love to me,'" said his father.

"That's kind of strange, because he would not have talked dirty before he wrecked...

Wait a second...he may not have missed the clinton administration, after all.

[TheRightGuy]

"You see, he's still back in 1984,"

Somebody's gonna hafta tell'm 'bout how we all almost perished in the Y2K disaster.

[RonF]

"What? Reagan's dead? That means that damned idiot BUSH is President?!"