Man walks, talks again after 2 years in coma

ISTANBUL

A young man who spent two years in a coma following a severe head injury has made an extraordinary recovery thanks to a groundbreaking treatment that revitalizes healthy brain cells.

The breakthrough was achieved through a combination of pharmacological treatments, neuron-stimulating devices and intensive physical therapy.

Zeki Can Akhun, now 18, fell into a coma at the age of 16 following a traffic accident that left him with severe head trauma. Thrown from a vehicle, he suffered brain hemorrhaging and remained in intensive care for three months. Despite undergoing brain surgery, Zeki did not emerge from the coma, and doctors initially held out little hope for his recovery.

“We were told he was in a vegetative state and that there was nothing more that could be done,” recalled İbrahim Akhun, Zeki’s father. “He was completely bedridden, dependent on machines. They told us he might never improve. The pain of seeing your child in that state is indescribable.”

A year ago, Zeki’s family turned to Dr. Ömer Karadağ at Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, seeking a second opinion.

Karadağ and his team decided to apply a pioneering treatment strategy focused on strengthening the brain’s remaining healthy cells.

“In cases of severe trauma, not all brain cells die— some simply lose function,” Karadağ explained. “By strengthening these intact or impaired cells, we can compensate for the loss of those that are beyond recovery. The goal is to regenerate damaged cells and restore their functions.”

The treatment protocol for Zeki included nutritional supplements rich in vitamins and minerals essential for neuron health, antioxidant therapies and the use of neuron stimulation devices.

Over the course of a year, the young man’s condition gradually improved.

“After a year of treatment, Zeki was no longer bedridden. He started walking and his communication skills returned to some extent,” Karadağ reported. “He can now speak a little, interact with his family and his mobility continues to improve.”