Delight as Kiwi in coma wakes up
A New Zealand man is awake and speaking after a water accident in Australia that left him in a coma with a fractured skull.
Brendon Demmocks, 31, hurtled headfirst into a tree when biscuiting with friends on the Murray River on February 18.
His sister, Samantha Venis, posted a Facebook update for friends and family yesterday.
‘‘Today has been an amazing day,’’ she wrote.
‘‘Brendon had the breathing tubes taken out and the first word he said was ‘Mum’!
‘‘He is still a bit confused but is getting stronger every day, with yesterday being a massive turning point.’’
His family initially feared the worst, with doctors warning he could be permanently paralysed.
The collision left him with multiple skull fractures and brain bleeds, and a team of more than 20 doctors treating him in a Melbourne hospital also had to deal with infections spreading to his lungs.
Venis described how her brother had been unable to avoid the collision.
‘‘They managed to get him on the boat pretty quickly. He coughed up some stuff and was swearing a little bit, and then he went unconscious.’’
Demmocks was originally from the Canterbury town of Amberley, and had been working in Australia as a diesel mechanic since last year.
He was planning on coming back to New Zealand soon to surprise his mum. Instead, she has been keeping vigil by his bedside.
Venis said Demmocks was not out of the woods yet, and would require a lot of physio and rehab.
‘‘It will be a few more months before we can get him home but things are definitely looking up.’’
A Givealittle page set up to support Demmocks and his family had raised about $9000 as of yesterday evening.