International: 23 years later, man wakes from conscious coma

Source: Vancouver Sun

BELGIUM - A man who literally spent half his life in a coma after a car crash — but was actually conscious — has spoken out about the 23 years he was "screaming" to doctors and those around him.

Rom Houben, 46, was left paralyzed after a 1983 crash, but told the U.K.'s Daily Mail that he "dreamed himself away."

Houben, with the aid of a computer he can communicate through, told the newspaper that he screamed, "but there was nothing to hear."

Doctors had said he was in a vegetative state based on testing through the Glasgow Coma Scale, the paper reported, but was repeatedly received incorrect grading through that system. New tests from the University of Liege in Belgium — which has a dedicated team of coma experts — determined he was fully paralyzed, but completely aware of his surroundings, the paper said.

His story became public after a study was published by the University of Liege outlining his ordeal.

The Daily Mail reported that Houben is likely to spend the rest of his life in hospital, but can freely communicate with friends and family and read books.