After falling from a balcony and slipping into a coma as a baby, Darren Jewell’s parents were told he would never live a normal life – but 54 years later, scans left doctors stunned. In 2021, Darren regained full function in the one-third of his brain that was dead.
Doctors suggested that Darren, who lives in Enfield, has been able to recover because he kept learning new things every day. Since the Covid pandemic hit, Darren has enrolled in multiple online courses, having learned from computer languages to building websites.
Back in 1970, when Darren had the tragic fall, doctors suggested he would struggle academically and professionally due to the level of brain damage he had suffered. Darren said: “This was in 1970, so there were no MRI scans at the time. For a long time, I did not know exactly what I had; doctors just told my parents that I could never be ‘normal’ and that I may even become a ‘vegetable’.”
READ MORE: ‘I’ve been given 6 months to live at 58 – I’m determined to make it to my 60th birthday’
Darren did end up struggling at school, but he feels like this was due to not being pushed enough academically, as teachers were aware of his brain damage. However, his parents supported him throughout his education, both mentally and physically, in hopes of a one-in-a-million recovery.
Despite challenges with mobility on the left side of his body, Darren pursued a somewhat ordinary life, attending catering college and later working as a chef. However, in 2001, he began experiencing frequent falls and balance issues, leading to concerns from colleagues and customers.
Darren said: “Customers would ask other members of staff if I was drunk, because my balance was all over the place.” He added: “The first time that I noticed there was something wrong was when I was sitting down watching TV, and suddenly my left leg got a spasm for like five minutes. I knew I had to go see my GP.”
Following an MRI scan ordered by his GP, Darren received the news that a third of his brain was dead due to spinal pressure. He said: “I knew I had some damage, but I didn’t realise it was a third of my brain… It was really scary.”
Doctors said there was nothing he could do to improve it and he started having regular MRI scans, which showed the damage remained stable throughout the years. But Darren lived in constant fear of an imminent stroke.
He went on living his life as normal, but when he was put on furlough from his job as the Covid pandemic hit, his life changed again. Darren said: “When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t stay still, I had to keep working my brain. So, I signed up for all kinds of online classes. I learned computer languages, how to build websites, public speaking…”
After a routine MRI in July 2021, Darren received an unexpected call from his GP, asking him to go to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Darren said: “I was really scared they had found the damage had gotten worse, or that I had to do surgery.”
He met up with a neurosurgeon for the first time, who showed him an MRI scan of a healthy brain – and to Darren’s surprise this was his own. After years of scans showing a third of his brain was dead, suddenly all the damage was gone. The surgeon said he had only seen this three times in his 35-year career.
Darren said: “I was in utter shock. I could not believe that the brain scan was mine, I was told it was impossible. But the doctor said that most of it was because I kept stimulating my brain with learning and working every day.”
Darren claims doctors told him that the remarkable recovery was thanks to his persistent mental stimulation through learning and daily activities, which stimulated blood vessels in his brain to pump blood into the dead area and effectively “bring it back to life.” Darren concluded: “Two and a half years have gone past, and I still cannot believe this happened. But it did.”
? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.
