Boy, 8, Wakes from 55-Day Coma After Hearing Classmates' Voices

An 8-year-old boy from central China's Hunan Province has regained consciousness after lying in a coma for 55 days, awakened by the recorded voices of his concerned classmates calling out to him, China Central Television reported today.

Liu Chuxi, a second-grader at Jin'e Primary School in Yueyang, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, brainstem contusion, and diffuse axonal damage in a traffic accident on November 22 last year. Doctors initially held little hope for his recovery.

Refusing to give up, his mother transferred him to Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha upon medical advice. There, she learned that familiar sounds could stimulate specific brain regions and potentially aid consciousness recovery.

Following doctors' suggestions, she played the school's morning bell and exercise broadcast music for her son. Upon learning this, Liu's teacher organized his classmates to record classroom clips and heartfelt video messages. In the recordings, children called his name, shared classroom jokes, sang his favorite songs, and urged him to wake up and return.

His mother played these recordings repeatedly. After showing little response for weeks, Liu briefly opened his eyes on the 45th day of his coma. A breakthrough came on day 51, when, upon hearing a recording of his teacher's lesson, the boy smiled with his eyes closed — a moment his family called "unbelievable."

Finally, on the 55th day, Liu woke up. "Liu Chuxi has regained consciousness!" His teacher immediately shared the news with his overjoyed classmates, who later visited him in the hospital. Though still unable to fully open his eyes due to injury, Liu responded to his friends with hand movements and waved happily when his teacher joked about exempting him from homework.

"Not a single mother would abandon her child," Liu's mother said, expressing gratitude to the medical staff, teachers, and classmates. While his recovery continues, she believes the collective love and support will help him return to school soon.

Netizens have been deeply moved by the story, with many commenting that his smile brought them to tears — calling it not only a medical miracle but a testament to a mother's love and the power of community.