An interview with Glenn - a coma survivor

The girl who was driving... . I don’t remember her, or anything else, but this is what I’ve been told.. . She was driving drunk at about sixty miles an hour on Long Beach Road in Oceanside when we hit a pole. I was in the passenger’s seat.

She came out with minor injuries. I was not so lucky. My friend happened to be driving by and saw the accident happen. He pulled his van over and looked in and saw me under the dashboard curled up in a ball. He tried to open the door but it was jammed. He pried the door open and called the police.

We are speaking to Glenn R., a twenty-one year old Oceansider who survived a severe car crash in 1982 and a subsequent one month coma period. Enveloped in records and posters, Glenn is at ease in his home and eager to tell his story.

I was immediately knocked unconscious. Then the cops and ambulance showed up and I was taken to the emergency room of the hospital where I was pronounced comatose.

A few days later they realized my lung had collapsed... they then cut a hole in my chest and a tube inside me to help me breathe better. My family and friends came to see me and talked to me. People in coma can hear what’s said to them but cannot respond. I remained in a coma for one month.

When I first woke up, I couldn’t talk at all. I was crying and making baby noises for two weeks. When you come out of a coma, you’re like three months old. Your life is starting over. You have to learn how to walk, talk, move your arms, and more through therapy. They started feeding me baby food. They toilet-trained me. I had a bunch of papers that I was trying to write on. My vocal chords started to come back about one month later.

Therapy is the best thing in the world. It was frustrating at times, and it still is sometimes, but do not give up. Have faith, hope and perseverance. It helped me because I had the will to be better. I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair all my life. I have a family that wanted to help in any way they could. That helped, too.

All together, Glenn spent a total of two months at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside and two months at Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains where he underwent therapy. He now attends a Coma Recovery Program at South Nassau Communities Hospital which meets twice a month. Update: The Support Group now meets once a month At this program, ex-coma patients and their families discuss coma-oriented problems and feelings. Glenn is an inspiration to the group because of his motivation and tremendous recovery.

He claims that his attitude toward people and himself has greatly improved as a result of the whole ordeal. I changed a million percent. I used to only look to myself, but now I’m so friendly, I can’t believe it. I’m Mr. Nice Guy, I’m not kidding you.

No, he’s really not kidding you. Even after two hours of interviewing him and discussing his experience, Glenn was not the slightest bit irritated when I bothered him a second time for further discussion. In fact, his eagerness still shone through.

I think because I was so close to death, I appreciate life so much more.

I used to party fifteen hours a day and work eight hours a day. I worked as a bagel baker from five a.m. until twelve. Then I would go and party until work the next day.

Now I am looking for some kind of work. I cannot work in a bakery anymore because of my leg. My left hand is also a little slower since the accident.

Glenn’s ankle is not up to par since the accident either, and he has grown self-conscious of his minor speech impairment as well. Watch how much you drink and who you get in the car with. And really, think there is a possibility of this happening to someone you love, but hopefully it won’t. It’s bad. You don’t want to go through it. Our interview is coming to an end, Glenn is hopeful. There is a determined look in his eyes. He smiles. I’m going to go all the way.