Friendship draws young man out of coma

Xing Yingkuan and his friends. [Photo/Chengdu Economic Daily]

A high school graduate has regained consciousness 10 days after he fell into coma with the help of a strong friendship.

Xing Yingkuan's sister Xing Meiling said he woke up on Wednesday afternoon at the Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu, according to a report of Legal Daily. Xing had been lying in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital for more than a week since being sent there after a cardiac arrest.

The 18-year-old native from Weiyuan county, Sichuan province, collapsed after playing basketball on the afternoon of July 31. After he fell into coma, his friends tried to resuscitate him before he was sent to the hospital.

The accident happened two days after Xing received a letter of admission from the Southwest Petroleum University.

"I am looking forward to a meaningful four years in the college," he said on social networking platform WeChat on the day.

After the national college entrance exam, Xing went to the provincial capital of Chengdu to do part-time jobs to save money to buy a new pair of basketball shoes.

When he was in coma, Xing's family was told that there was little chance he would recover, but they still tried everything to wake him up.

After he was hospitalized, Xing's classmates recorded their best wishes in 39 audio clips to play in the ears of Xing in the hope of waking him up.

"One more second you lie on the bed is one more bit of torture for us," said one of his classmates.

"Brother Monkey (nickname of Xing), we are waiting for you to play basketball. Don't sleep anymore," said another one.

Besides good wishes, a saxophone melody of Auld Lang Syne was also played.

All these efforts paid off when the young man regained consciousness.

Xing Meiling said his brother still has to rely on a respirator to breath and has severe inflammation of his lungs.

Wang Guoxiang, the physician in charge of Xing's treatment, said the cardiac arrest was the result of long exposure to sunshine plus high-intensity physical exercise, which led to a low content of potassium in the body.

Every year, more than half a million people die of heart attack in China, according to media reports. The survial rate is at less than 1 percent due to a low awareness of first-aid knowledge and the lack of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in public spaces.