'The turnaround has been miraculous' - Damien Martyn's family confirms cricketer is out of coma, shares health update

Former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn has shown impressive signs of recovery after being placed in a life-threatening coma following a battle with meningitis. The 54-year-old, who was hospitalised in critical condition on Boxing Day, has now woken up from the coma and is responding positively to treatment, with doctors hopeful of moving him out of intensive care soon. His family has described the improvement as miraculous.

Martyn was rushed to a hospital on the Gold Coast late in December after falling seriously ill. As his condition deteriorated, doctors placed him in an induced coma to stabilise him while treating meningitis, a severe inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. News of his illness sparked concern, with former teammates, rivals, and fans from across the world sending messages of support. In the days that followed, his family requested privacy while confirming that he remained under close medical supervision.

“We would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support our family has received. We also want to express our deepest appreciation to the medical team at Gold Coast University Hospital who have been nothing short of amazing throughout this challenging time. This has been a trying time and the family ask that you respect their privacy," the Martyn family said in a statement to the Courier Mail earlier this weekend.

It's been an unbelievable turn of events in the last 48 hours: Adam Gilchrist

Martyn’s close friend and former Australian teammate, Adam Gilchrist, stated on behalf of the family, confirming that the former batter had woken up from the coma and was now able to speak. Gilchrist described the past 48 hours as an unbelievable turn of events. Gilchrist also revealed that Martyn is in good spirits and deeply moved by the support he has received. 

"It's been an unbelievable turn of events in the last 48 hours. He is now able to talk and respond to treatment. He has responded extraordinarily well since coming out of the coma to the point where his family feels it's like some sort of miracle. It has been so positive that they're hopeful he will be able to move out of the ICU into another part of the hospital, which is representative of what a great recovery it's been and how quickly it has flipped around. He's in good spirits and overwhelmed by the support. There is still some treatment and monitoring to go but it's looking positive," he said.

Martyn will remain in the hospital for further treatment and monitoring. Messages of support continued to pour in from across the world. Former India batters VVS Laxman and Ravichandran Ashwin, along with ex-Australia players Darren Lehmann and Michael Vaughan, were among those who publicly sent their prayers and encouragement.