Damien Martyn awake from coma in ‘unbelievable’ recovery from meningitis | Sport
Damien Martyn is awake and talking in a Gold Coast hospital, a week after falling into a coma with meningitis. The 54-year-old footballer has been able to speak to his friends and family, including former team-mate Adam Gilchrist, and is said to be delighted with the support offered.
“Incredible events have occurred in the last 48 hours,” Gilchrist said in a statement.
“He can now talk and respond to treatment. He has responded exceptionally well since coming out of his coma and his family think it’s some kind of miracle.
“He was so positive that they were hopeful he could be moved from the ICU to another part of the hospital, which shows how big of an improvement there was and how quickly the situation turned around.”
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Martyn, an elegant right-handed batsman who played 67 Tests, fell suddenly ill late last month and was rushed to a Gold Coast hospital, where he remained.
On Christmas Eve, before he contracted meningitis (infection and swelling of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord), Martyn was posting about the ongoing Ashes series on social media.
Gilchrist, VVS Laxman and Michael Vaughan were among the cricket icons who sent him their best wishes.
“He’s in good spirits and has been overwhelmed with support. There’s still some treatment and monitoring to go on, but he’s looking positive,” Gilchrist said.
“His wife, Amanda, wants to tell everyone through messages and press coverage that she believes the love, goodwill and caring from everyone has really helped her,” he said. “They feel happy, so many people wanted to support him at the time [of] need.
“He will remain in hospital and continue to receive treatment but the recovery has been miraculous.”
Born in Darwin, Martyn made his Test debut at the age of 21, replacing Dean Jones in the 1992/93 home series against the West Indies and captaining Western Australia at the age of 23.
He played 208 ODIs, averaging 40.8 and scored an unbeaten 88 in Australia’s defeat of India in the 2003 World Cup final.
Martyn retired from Test cricket midway through the 2006/07 Ashes series and played his final match at the Adelaide Oval that summer. He dabbled in commentating during his retirement, but has mostly stayed out of the limelight in recent years.
