A man labeled "brain dead" has become the first ever to recover from an extreme form of locked-in syndrome - after he heard medics discussing switching off his life support. In 2017, Jacob Haendel was living a normal life as a head chef in Boston, Massachusetts. But in the space of just a few weeks, his life was turned upside down after he was diagnosed with acute toxic progressive leukoencephalopathy - which progressed into locked-in syndrome and forced his body to shut down.
Devastating virus causing paralysis in children discovered in US water supplies Girl, 15, suffers vocal cord paralysis after catching Covid in new complication Within just a few months he was totally aware of what was going on around him - but couldn't move, talk, blink, or communicate due to complete paralysis. Terrifyingly he could hear staff deliberating over switching off his breathing machines. But suddenly he was able to move his wrist, before developing blinking skills.
It took years, but finally, he has made a remarkable recovery, so he can now speak and move around once again, and live without support. He is the first ever person to recover from stage 4 acute toxic progressive leukoencephalopathy, he says. It can be caused by brain trauma, infection, and exposure to toxins.
It is not known exactly how Jacob developed the condition, but he says his life as a chef consuming chemicals "willfully and otherwise" may have been a factor. Jacob, 35, said: “Everything has changed after what happened -.
