Australia cricket legend Damien Martyn wakes up from life-threatening coma

Australian cricket legend Damien Martyn has regained consciousness after being placed in an induced coma following a diagnosis of meningitis. Martyn, 54, reportedly became unwell on Boxing Day after lying down at his home on the Gold Coast and was rushed to a hospital in Brisbane, where doctors placed him in a coma as a precaution while treating the life-threatening infection. Meningitis causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can lead to symptoms such as severe headaches, fever, muscle and joint pain, neck stiffness and sensitivity to light. Former teammate Adam Gilchrist confirmed that Martyn has since woken up and is responding positively to treatment.  He is now able to talk and respond to treatment, Gilchrist said. He has responded extraordinarily well since coming out of the coma, to the point where his family feels its like some sort of miracle. He added that the recovery has been so encouraging that doctors are hopeful Martyn could soon be moved out of the intensive care unit. It has been so positive that theyre hopeful he will be able to move out of the ICU into another part of the hospital, which really shows how quickly things have turned around. Gilchrist also relayed a message from Martyns family, saying: On behalf of his family, Amanda his partner, thank you to everyone for the heartfelt love, wishes and care for Damien as he continues to go through a challenging time. Martyn played 67 Test matches and 208 one-day internationals for Australia between 1992 and 2006. He scored 4,406 Test runs, including 13 centuries, and amassed 5,346 runs in ODIs. He is particularly remembered for his performances in the 2001 Ashes series against England, where he scored centuries at Edgbaston and Headingley, and for which he was later named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Martyn represented Western Australia as well as English counties Leicestershire and Yorkshire during his career. In December 2006, at the age of 35, he stunned the cricket world by announcing his immediate retirement from all forms of the game.The post Australia cricket legend Damien Martyn wakes up from life-threatening coma appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.