Coma Italian 'heard everything'

An Italian man has emerged from a two-year-long coma claiming he retained his powers of hearing and comprehension throughout his illness, his family say. Salvatore Crisafulli, 38, is recovering at home after years spent in what doctors had termed a "near-dead" state.

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According to Italian media, Mr Crisafulli claims to have overheard doctors saying he was not conscious. "I understood everything and I cried in desperation," he said. Mr Crisafulli has recovered the power of speech and recollection, his brother Pietro told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "I don't expect that he will be like he was, but it's already a miracle," he was quoted as saying. "And to think that some doctors said that it was all useless and that he would be dead in three, four months."