What Is the Longest a Person Has Been in a Coma and Woke Up?

Comas are one of those eerie medical phenomena that sit somewhere between science and science fiction. The idea of someone being unconscious for decades and then waking up—like Sleeping Beauty but with IV drips and a lot of physical therapy—sounds like something out of a movie. But it happens.

So, what’s the longest coma a person has survived and come back from? And what does waking up even mean? Let’s get into it.

The Longest a Person Has Been in a Coma and Woken Up

The record for the longest coma a person has ever woken up from belongs to Edwarda O’Bara, an American woman who was in a coma for 42 years. She fell into a diabetic coma in 1970 when she was just 16 years old and remained unconscious until her passing in 2012. Now, you might be thinking, “Wait—does that count? Did she wake up?” The unfortunate answer is no. Edwarda never regained consciousness.

The longest verified case of someone waking up from a coma is Terry Wallis, who was in a coma for 19 years before regaining awareness in 2003. Terry, an Arkansas man, suffered a traumatic brain injury from a car accident in 1984. His family visited him regularly, but for nearly two decades, doctors believed he would never regain full consciousness. Then, in what can only be described as a medical miracle, he woke up and spoke. His first words?

"Mom."

(Yeah, if that doesn’t hit you right in the heart, I don’t know what will.)

Terry’s case baffled doctors because, unlike many long-term coma patients, he was able to regain speech and limited movement. His story became a symbol of hope, but it also raised a lot of questions about how the brain recovers from severe injury.

How Does Someone Survive in a Coma for That Long?

The human body is surprisingly resilient, but long-term coma survival depends on a few critical factors:

• Medical Support – A patient needs consistent medical care, including feeding tubes, respiratory assistance, and infection prevention.
• Brain Activity – Some coma patients remain in a persistent vegetative state, where they show minimal awareness but still have reflexes. Others may show slow brain function improvements over time.
• Family Involvement – Many coma survivors who regain awareness have families that were deeply involved in their care (like in Terry Wallis’s case).

One common misconception is that coma patients are just "asleep" the whole time. That’s not quite true. A coma is different from sleep—it's a deep state of unconsciousness where the brain isn’t processing information normally. Some coma patients show small signs of activity (like reflexes or minimal responses), while others remain completely unresponsive for years.

Can a Person Wake Up from a Coma After Decades?

Yes, but it’s incredibly rare. Most coma patients who remain in a deep, unresponsive state for years do not regain full consciousness. The odds decrease significantly the longer someone stays in a coma.

That said, there have been some astonishing cases:

• Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist, suffered a stroke and fell into a coma-like state called "locked-in syndrome" in 1995. He later woke up and even wrote a book—by blinking. (Yes, blinking. His memoir, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was literally dictated one letter at a time through eyelid movements.)
• Munira Abdulla, a woman from the UAE, spent 27 years in a coma after a car accident before regaining some awareness in 2018. Her first word upon waking? Her son’s name.

Each of these cases reminds us that the brain is mysterious, unpredictable, and occasionally miraculous.

What Happens When Someone Wakes Up from a Long-Term Coma?

TV and movies love the dramatic coma wake-up scene—eyes flutter open, a gasp, instant recognition of loved ones. In reality? It’s not that simple.

Waking up from a long coma is usually a slow, gradual process. It might start with small signs—a twitch, an eye movement, a faint response to stimuli. Then, over time, the brain may rebuild its connections. Some people regain full awareness, while others remain in a semi-conscious state.

For those who do wake up, the challenges aren’t over. They often experience:

• Muscle atrophy – After years of immobility, muscles waste away. Patients may need months (or years) of physical therapy.
• Speech and cognitive issues – The brain may struggle to process language and memories.
• Emotional distress – Imagine going to sleep as a teenager and waking up middle-aged. The world moves on, and adjusting can be overwhelming.

What Science Still Doesn’t Fully Understand About Comas

Despite all the advances in neuroscience, there’s still so much we don’t know about how comas work. Some people wake up unexpectedly, while others never regain consciousness. Why? What triggers recovery in some cases but not others?

There’s growing research on brain plasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself after injury. Some scientists believe coma patients may benefit from stimulation therapy, where they are exposed to sounds, smells, and familiar voices to encourage brain activity. There are even experiments with deep brain stimulation, where electrodes are used to try to "jump-start" the brain.

Could future treatments help coma patients recover more reliably? Maybe. But for now, each case remains unique and unpredictable.

Final Thoughts

Comas are a medical mystery wrapped in a human tragedy. For every miraculous recovery, there are countless families who wait for a loved one to wake up—sometimes for years, sometimes forever.

The longest someone has ever been in a coma and woken up? 19 years, in the case of Terry Wallis. But there’s always the possibility that a new record will be set.

Until then, these rare cases serve as a reminder: The brain is both fragile and unbelievably powerful. And sometimes, hope can stretch across decades.

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