Firefighter Wakes Up From a 10 YEAR Coma (Viewer Discretion Advised)

In 2005, a man woke up from a 10 YEAR long coma that doctors expected him to be in for the rest of his life. His story went on to change the way that experts think about human consciousness...

If you're new here, hey! My name is Andy Jiang and I do extremely detailed dives into some of the most fascinating, bizarre, and unreal untold true stories that are out there. Subscribe and turn on all post notifications so you don’t miss any of my weekly uploads!

Story Sources:
CBS 60 Minutes: “11/25/07: Awakening”
The New York Times: “Buffalo Fireman Regains Long-Lost Memories”
NBC News: “Firefighter who spoke after lengthy coma dies”
NPR: “Firefighter Who Awoke From Coma Dies”
World Science Festival: “After 10 Years in a Coma, Why Donald Herbert Woke Up”

Where you can find me:
Instagram: @andyyjiang_
TikTok: @andyyjiang

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[HiddenStoriesYT]

Hey everyone! I've seen a lot of comments about my voice/vocal cadence being really distracting throughout this story, so I just wanted quickly to drop in here and say that I really appreciate the feedback. It's been a couple months since I made this video, and now that I watch it again, my voice really does sound a bit unnatural, forced, and actually quite irritating at times 🥲

If you found it difficult to listen to this story, I apologize for that. I'll be keeping this in mind moving forward, thanks to those of you who brought this to my attention!

- Andy

[gregorymeyer]

Don feeling guilty for not being there for his family is truly heartbreaking.

[Christianos_Theophile]

Can you imagine falling into a coma in 2013 and then waking up in 2023, and suddenly the entire world has gone stark raving mad and nothing makes any sense

[gregg.]

So sad that he died a number of months later. What a tragedy.

[DigitaIJustice]

I can’t imagine the sadness in feeling like you blinked and your family is 10 years older and you’ve missed it all

[toddventura]

I was friends with Don. I coached 2 of his sons. He was such an amazing and humble guy! He and his wife were adorable together. I remember getting that phone call about what had happened. The one son was in 7th or 8th grade. That kid had/has more guts than most people I’ve met! He’s not a kid anymore. He’s a detective. He continued playing basketball for the school that year. I had to shield him from people wanting to talk to him about his dad. Don went to every game! He would play with their youngest while keeping an eye on the game. Thank you for showing this video! This is one of those people and families that the world should know about!

[peach]

I hope people will appreciate all that firefighters do every single day. True heroes in every sense of the word.

[EASTSIDERIDER]

First thought was missing his obligations and not what he’d lost. It speaks of his character.

[KingKuda]

He felt bad because he wasn't there for his family. Little does he know that his family was there for him the entire time. ❤

[ruthmccurdy]

My entire nursing career. I spoke to every ‘ brain dead ‘ person 100% as I knew they could hear me. Little things like “
Mrs. Jones. I’m about to wash your face, etc. I’d tell them about the weather. Current events. I often had to escort family out the room when I heard them speak as if the patient wasn’t there. I’d say ‘ the brain might be broken. But the soul is intact ‘. This reassures my patient advocacy. Blessings to all. 🙏🙏🙏🕊🕊🕊

[ArtbyL]

This man has a beautiful family. They stood by him, for 10 years including him in family gatherings

[brandonhavis]

I think the wife needs to be appreciated for her dedication to her husband. unbelievable that she stood by his side the entire time.

[rram]

I can’t imagine how distressing it must be waking up and realizing you lost 10 YEARS of your life

[Nataliaange]

I definitely cried through half this story. What a wonderful wife Linda was, and how she never gave up. I so admire her. God bless this family.

[andresparodi]

The human body is amazing and incomprehensible. My dad was in a ventilator after he got covid 19 back in 2021 his kedneys failed, his lungs were collapsing, entered in a coma for months, and doctors lost all hopes ... and then, out of the sudden, he woke up and started a slow recovery . Today, I have my dad along my side ❤

[Redheadmafia]

I survived a near drowning in Oregon in 2003 when I was 6. Went without oxygen for 4.5 minutes. Doctors told my parents they truly didn’t know. I could wake up with little to no function, wake up totally fine, or anything in between. Thankfully I was able to recover with only a few life long repercussions.

[blazi_]

Bro 10 years is so much, rest in peace man youre a hero

[yankeetango]

Tragic story but shows how little we actually know about the brain and how consciousness works.

[yvonneprimeau]

My grandfather was in a coma as a result of falling down a steep flight of stairs. After being hospitalized for some time, one day he woke up and could converse normally with his visitors. The following day he slipped back into his coma and a few days later he passed away.

[janispayne]

I’m sad that Don didn’t recover to spend years more with his family. Wonderful that he did wake up again. Heartbreaking story.