8-year-old boy in China wakes from 55-day coma after receiving classmates' video messages

An eight-year-old boy in China has woken from a 55-day coma after responding to regular video messages from his schoolmates wishing him a speedy recovery.

According to Chinese media outlet The Paper, Liu Chuxi (transliteration) a student from Yueyang, Hunan, was involved in a car accident last November, reported Hong Kong publication South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Thursday (Jan 29). 

He fell into a coma following the crash, which caused severe brain damage and lung injuries, with doctors giving his family a grim prognosis.

Refusing to give up, Liu's mother sought treatment at multiple hospitals, where a doctor advised that familiar sounds or favourite music could stimulate specific areas of the brain and potentially aid his recovery.

Acting on the doctor's advice, the mother played the boy's school music and morning exercise tunes daily, while his teacher organised his classmates to record heartwarming videos for him to listen to, reported SCMP.

Videos of the heartwarming moments were posted on social media, showing the boy's classmates singing, narrating poems, and speaking to him.

In the videos, Liu could occasionally be seen twitching his eyes or smiling slightly. In one clip, a classmate can be heard reciting a poem they had learned in school, saying: "If you can hear me, please open your eyes."

After much effort, he eventually regained consciousness.

Liu's teachers and classmates subsequently visited him in hospital, bringing toys and cards, and his teacher jokingly teased him that he would be exempt from homework, prompting him to try to open his eyes and wave. 

Speaking to the media, Liu's mother called his recovery a miracle and expressed gratitude to the doctors, teachers, and classmates who supported him, the report said.

"I hope my son's case can offer hope to families facing a similar situation," she was quoted as saying.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com