By Jessica Smith
THIS MAN was in a COMA for over a MONTH after a motorcycle crash left him with NECROTIC BRAIN TISSUE – but he’s back on his feet thanks to a prosthetic, his girlfriend and the GYM.
Engineer, Marek Roscher (31) from Aurich, Germany, had a good job, a girlfriend, a wonderful daughter and enjoyed fitness, going to the gym up to six times a week as well as riding his motorcycle at every opportunity he could.
In June 2016 this all changed, as Marek was involved in a road traffic accident which left him in a coma for over a month and hospitalised for six months. When he woke up his left leg and hip had been amputated.
In the summer of 2016, Marek met his then-girlfriend after a long hard day at work. His daughter was with the childminder while Marek and his girlfriend were off to meet friends. She sped off on the road ahead of him on her motorbike, he followed her, speeding along and feeling the power of the machine between his thighs.
Out of nowhere a car appeared between Marek and his ex-girlfriend. Marek was taken by surprise and to this day does not know exactly what happened. The impact of the crash was so severe he has no memory of it.
He was rushed to hospital, where he would spend the next six months of his life having several operations to piece together his broken body and mind. The left-hand side of his body was the side affected and Marek’s left leg was so badly injured it had to be amputated. His left hip was so inflamed and injured he had to have that cut off too. His left arm was torn, as was the left-hand side of his stomach and despite wearing a helmet he suffered severe head injuries. Despite being at the scene of the crash, Merek’s ex-girlfriend was not affected by it.
Marek was in a coma for over a month, when he woke up he did not recognise his friends and family other than his daughter. He could barely talk or use his fingers. His left leg had been removed and there was nothing he could do about it. Over the next five months he undertook speech therapy to learn to talk again, he had physio so he could use his hands and learn to write again. He had several operations to reconstruct his left arm using metal pins and his left bicep still isn’t fully functioning. The head trauma he experienced was so bad it has left him with a condition called cerebral infarction; a condition where part of the brain tissue is necrotic or dead tissue which can cause a stroke.
He has been able to adapt to life well; returning to his old job. Marek attributes his almost full recovery to being a fitness fanatic both before and after the accident.
His biggest supporter is his new girlfriend, and she has been instrumental in helping him to accept his new way of life.
“I was on my way to see friends after work with my ex-girlfriend, we were riding along the road and next thing I know I am hitting the front of a car” said Marek.
“To this day I don’t know exactly what happened but that doesn’t matter now as it cannot be undone. I spent a month in a coma and the doctors didn’t know if I was going to wake up or not.
“When I woke up it was horrible, I could not speak, I did not recognise my friends and family. The only person I recognised was my daughter.
“The pain was unbearable and I had to take a lot of morphine to get through each day. I’ve lost count of the number of operations I have had to try and put my body back together. There were just so many injuries all at the same time.
“It’s easier to list things which are working; my right arm and leg are fine but I had a horrible injury to my head leaving me with cerebral infarction, my stomach was torn to pieces, my left arm was smashed as was my left leg, which had to be amputated along with my hip when it became too inflamed to stay.
“In the hospital I had to learn to speak again, and to move my fingers, eventually learning again to write. I couldn’t write beautifully but at least I could write.
“My left arm is more metal than flesh and my left bicep isn’t fully functioning. I knew before me the road to recovery would be long.
“The truth was horrible but the only option I had was to fight and keep going. After many visits I slowly began to recognise people like my parents and friends again.”
Marek stayed in the hospital for six months, having daily sessions of physiotherapy and speech therapy to help rehabilitate him.
Marek spends a lot of time in his wheelchair; he has a prosthetic leg which he can stand up on but is scared to walk more than a step or so using it. His biggest current problem is his memory but he is trying to recover as much as he can by keeping his brain engaged.
When asked about his sex life he responds with a smile but won’t say too much.
“I see the world completely differently. I am happy with simple things like love and friends and not just material possessions,” he said.
“Most people are proud of me and some people send me messages saying that they are motivated because of my content in social media.
“Some things are going really well for me like putting on my jacket whilst standing on one foot.
“I work on things like trying to walk with prosthetics but I can only manage a few steps. Stairs are the most challenging things for me because I’m afraid I will fall. I aim to work on this in the future.
“The biggest problem is my memory but I can do many tasks to help recover it like reading and writing. I fought and fought to get to where I am today and now my head has healed so well I can once again drive my car.
“I also got my old job back and now I work for the company five days a week just like anyone else.
“Both before and also after the crash I worked out every day. The doctor thinks that’s the reason I survived the accident; my body was strong enough to overcome the long list of injuries I suffered.
Marek said coyly “I can still have sex. My mindset is if you fall seven times then you get up eight times. The body has a limit but your mind can be stronger than those limitations.”
Marek does not feel the accident has held him back and thinks other people who have been through similar ordeals should not be disheartened.
“Definitely never give up. There’s always a way and always people to fight for like your family and friends,” he said.
“I have a strong mind and so I am happy. Sometimes there are many obstacles in my way but I am a positive guy and can always find a way to progress.
“I am blessed and happy, happy to be able to play with my daughter and my new girlfriend.”
You can follow their journey on Instagram and YouTube
