Reminded me of how fragile life is: Martyn on return from coma
Former Australian batter Damien Martyn on Saturday returned home from hospital after recovering from an “awful” meningitis attack, which he said made him realise “how fragile life is.” Martyn was taken ill on December 27, 2025 and had to be put in an induced coma in the intensive care unit, but showed signs of recovery in the first week of January. But now the ordeal is behind him.
“Bring on 2026 …I’m back! So happy to be home, to be able to put my feet in the sand on the beach and to start thanking all those people that reached out to me and my family in their unwavering support,” Martyn wrote in an emotional note posted on his X account, accompanied by a picture of him standing on a beach. Martyn said the painful episode taught him the transient nature of life. “This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change & how precious time is!”
The 54-year-old former World Cup winner also reminisced about his battle with the disease. “On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands…when meningitis took over my brain, & unbeknownst to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for 8 days to help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!…. After being given a 50/50 chance of surviving, I came out of the induced coma 8 days later…not able to walk or talk. “And yet 4 days after that, with the doctors in disbelief, I walked, I talked and proved to them all why I should be released from hospital to start my recovery,” he stated.
Martyn, who played 67 Tests, 208 ODIs and 4 T20Is for Australia, thanked all who stood beside him during the days of turmoil. “This post is A BIG thank you to ALL my family, friends and so many other people who have reached out to me! There are so many wonderful people in this world … from paramedics (at Mermaid Waters Ambulance), doctors & nurses (at Gold Coast University Hospital) … to family, friends and people I didn’t even know. “I feel like I met all these fantastic people in the past 3 weeks, or they reached out to me through messages of love and support,” he wrote.
