Ajax player Abdelhak ‘Appie’ Nouri has woken up after two years and nine months in a coma.
Nouri, 22, collapsed on the pitch in July 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia attack.
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He sustained severe and permanent brain damage as a direct result of the incident.
But according to Dutch website AD Nouri is now awake and that he “sleeps, eats, frowns and burps but is very dependent”.
Nouri’s brother Abderrahim told AD that the footballer is “doing well” and lives in a house specially built for him.
The pair communicate not through words or signals but through raising their eyebrows.
Perhaps the most heartwarming news of all is that he can watch football again, and even reacts to it.
His father Mohammed said Nouri and his family had been through a “serious ordeal”.
He added: “We have to take care of him at our very best. We try to do a lot ourselves.”
The news is all the more miraculous given the fact the family said in July 2017 that he had virtually no chance of recovery and was in a permanent vegetative state.
Abderrahim said back then: “He cannot walk, cannot talk, he does not recognise us, does not know who we are. He does not feel anything, he does not hear anything.
“According to the doctor he can never do all that again, he will never heal.”
But incredibly Nouri is back communicating and spending time with his loved ones.
And even more remarkable is the fact he played a part in former Ajax star Frenkie de Jong’s arrival at Ajax and subsequent transfer to Barcelona.
De Jong said: “He talked to me a lot in a summer.
“When I sat with him, his mother came in. She then asked Appie, ‘Appie, where should Frenkie go? To Barcelona?’ As soon as she said that, his eyebrow rose. That was a very special moment.”
Nouri was considered the next Ajax superstar when he collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen in the Austrian Alps.
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COMMENTS
Oh my…! What a miracle. God is Almighty indeed. I was moved to tears when news broke of this kid’s sudden collapsed on the pitch. If you think Hakim Ziyech is talented, you needed to see Abdelhak run rings around his opponents as if they were graven images. Sincere commiseration with his family. Kudos to them for their perseverance. I pray he continues to recover.
It is wonderful to hear that Abdelhak has started communicating with his family. The most heartwarming aspect for me was when he was said to have signalled approval for a colleague to go to Barcelona (according to the article above).
The Amsterdam born 22 year old of Moroccan heritage former midfielder played around 36 games for various youth teams of Holland scoring 9 goals along the way.
He played 25 games for Jong Ajax (the reserve team) registering 11 goals.
On 8 July 2017, Nouri collapsed during a friendly match against Werder Bremen, due to cardiac arrhythmia. His condition was initially stable but 5 days later, he was reported to have suffered severe and permanent damage.
I join the global football family in praying that his recovery and rehabilitation continue to show marked improvements.
Glory be to God I thank God for his mercy in his life