Recently, a news story titled “Daughter Suffers Sudden Cerebral Hemorrhage and Falls into a Vegetative State; Mother Revives Her After 258 Days” has drawn widespread attention. In fact, at Nanjing Zijin Hospital, such cases are far from uncommon. Among the patients who have been brought back to consciousness, there is a young mother who was “awakened” by her young son’s repeated calls, as well as a middle-aged son who was roused by his elderly mother’s unwavering perseverance—both had remained in a vegetative state for more than two years. Professor Wang Peidong, the hospital’s director, emphasized that, in the process of awakening patients in a vegetative state, familial love and affection are irreplaceable by any other method.

　　The young child’s repeated calls awaken the comatose mother.

　　Among the many patients treated by Wang Peidong, one named Song Lingying has remained vividly etched in his memory. Originally from Taicang, Song Lingying underwent surgery at a local hospital in April 2006 to remove an abdominal wall tumor. Tragically, following that operation, she was left in a vegetative state.

　　After Song Lingying had been in a coma for more than three months, they invited Wang Peidong to conduct a consultation. “She’s still young—only 30—and that gives her an advantage. Moreover, I noticed her eyes reacted when her son spoke.” However, due to certain practical considerations, her family did not immediately take her to Nanjing for treatment.

　　One year and two months later, Wang Peidong was once again invited to consult on Song Lingying’s case. By then, she had already been transferred to several hospitals, including one in Shanghai, but her condition had not improved. This time, the Song family heeded Wang Peidong’s advice, and she was brought to Nanjing.

　　Her parents meticulously attend to Song Lingying’s daily needs and help her with her treatment, while the gentle calls of her four-year-old son, Xiao Songyu, serve as a powerful catalyst for her recovery. Each day, in addition to calling out “Mom,” after an elderly woman in the same ward taught him how to sing “There Is Only One Mom in the World,” he makes it a point to sing it for her. Xiao Songyu also often chats with his mother, sharing everything he knows. Within less than three months of treatment, Song Lingying began to show encouraging signs: on several occasions, when Xiao Songyu leaned close to her ear and called “Mom,” tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. “This progress has brought Song Lingying from a vegetative state into a minimally conscious state, bolstering our confidence in the next phase of her care,” explained Wang Peidong.

　　And so, after a year at Zijin Hospital, a miracle occurred: Song Lingying suddenly woke up. One evening, as her parents were chatting, they suddenly heard someone call out, “Mom.” Everyone fell silent, and then she called again, “Mom.” By that time, she had been in a coma for more than two years.

　　A mother cared for her comatose son day and night—now he has stood up.

　　At Zijin Hospital, Wang Yisuan is considered a “veteran” patient; he has been hospitalized there for 11 years now. On June 5, 2004, Wang Yisuan, a 35-year-old man from Zhoukou City, Henan Province, suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a vegetative state. The following year, his family brought him to Nanjing’s Zijin Hospital, where they underwent awakening therapy. At the time, his mother made a resolute statement: “If my son doesn’t recover, I’m not going back!” Since then, the elderly couple has remained in Nanjing, accompanying Wang Yisuan through his treatment. During the Spring Festival of the second year, Wang Yisuan finally showed signs of minimal consciousness, and two months later, he fully regained consciousness.

　　Wang Yi’s recovery is inseparable from his parents’ painstaking efforts and the heartfelt love that sustained him. He eats five meals a day, and to ensure a well‑rounded diet, his mother hurries to the market every morning to buy the freshest greens. For someone in a vegetative state, solid foods can strain the digestive system, so she purees rice, noodles, vegetables, and other ingredients into a smooth paste and feeds it to Wang Yi. With her medical background, Mother Wang has amassed extensive experience in caring for patients in such conditions. She has even devised a special menu: even breakfast consists of seven or eight different items blended together—so well balanced that even the hospital’s nutritionist praises her skillful combinations. Between meals, she makes sure he enjoys several kinds of low‑sugar fruit. While Wang Yi was still unable to move, his mother washed him daily and never missed an opportunity to give him gentle massages. Each night, she would get up every two hours to turn him over, ensuring that he never developed a pressure sore. Moreover, she kept up a constant stream of conversation with him.

　　Today, Wang Yi can already stand with support and engage in simple conversations. “Our son will get even better, and our family will continue to live happily ever after!” Mother Wang firmly believes.

　　Reviving a Vegetative State Patient: The Irreplaceable Role of Family Love

　　“In all these cases where patients in a vegetative state have successfully regained consciousness, the call of loved ones has played a crucial role,” said Professor Wang Peidong. He added that, in the treatment of promoting awakening in vegetative patients, alongside comprehensive therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, physical therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, the emotional support of family members remains irreplaceable.

　　“No one knows when a “vegetative state” patient will wake up or when they might regain normal functioning,” said Professor Wang Peidong. “However, by considering the cause of the brain injury, the duration of the illness, clinical manifestations, and neuroimaging findings, it is possible to make some predictions about the likelihood of the patient’s recovery.”

　　According to Wang Peidong, there are two main types of patients in a vegetative state: one is caused by trauma, and these individuals tend to recover more quickly; the other, as in the cases of Song Lingying and Wang Yi, results from non‑traumatic causes, making recovery extremely difficult because such patients have diffuse brain damage. Furthermore, Wang Peidong noted that, age-wise, younger patients have a higher likelihood of regaining consciousness, with clinicians often using 60 years old as a threshold.

　　Although foreign experts consider that patients in a vegetative state resulting from trauma who remain unconscious for 12 months, or those with non‑traumatic vegetative states who remain unconscious for 3 to 6 months, to have entered a permanent vegetative state, Wang Peidong disagrees. Over the past 26 years at his hospital, among more than 2,000 patients who were brought out of a vegetative state, many exceeded these timeframes. Wang Peidong notes that, with comprehensive treatment, 70% of patients in a vegetative state can regain consciousness. For those in a minimally conscious state, 80% to 90% eventually achieve a gradual recovery of awareness. Reporter: Hua Linyue.