A California man, who spent four days in a coma and was about to be disconnected from life support, is now on his way to making a full recovery.
Mike Connelly’s family had just given doctors permission to turn off the machines keeping him alive when his stepson noticed a tear slide down the side of his face, the North Coast Times reported.
Moments later, another family member was shouting that the 56-year-old was responding.
"He said Mike was responding," the stepson told the newspaper. "I didn't believe him, but I went back in there, and it was true. You would say his name, and he would turn his head toward you. It was a miracle."
Connelly’s heart suddenly stopped Jan. 31 when he developed an arrhythmia, which is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can be life-threatening, the National Institutes of Health said on its Web site.
Connelly's pulmonary doctor said it is not a stretch to call Connelly’s sudden recovery miraculous.
"When we get a guy like Mike Connelly, it's almost like a miracle," Dr. Martin Nielsen said. "I've never seen anybody come back like he has."
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