When 38-year-old Michael Reyes opened his eyes for the first time in seven years, doctors were stunned. But what brought the entire hospital staff to tears was what he whispered once he could speak:
“Where’s my wife?”
Michael had fallen into a coma after a severe car crash in 2017. Prognosis was grim. Most believed he’d never wake up.
But his wife, Emily, never gave up.
For 2,555 days — through birthdays, holidays, storms, and pandemics — she sat by his bedside at the long-term care facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
She read him books. Played him music. Told him about the world. On their anniversary each year, she brought in his favorite cologne and sprayed it on the blanket.
“I just knew he could hear me,” Emily said. “Even when they said it was hopeless, I felt him.”
Nurses say Emily became part of the hospital family. “She was here more than some staff,” one remarked. “She brought hope to every room she entered.”
Then, on a quiet Tuesday morning, it happened.
Michael opened his eyes. He tried to move his fingers. By evening, he whispered her name.
Though his recovery will be slow, doctors say Michael’s cognitive function is “remarkably intact.” He recognized his children, now teenagers, and asked to see videos of their birthdays he missed.
Their story has gone viral with the hashtag #ForBetterOrWorse, as people from around the world share messages of love and awe.
One user wrote:
“This is the kind of love we read about in books. But she lived it.”
English