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CNN Live Saturday

Honolulu Man Emerges From 7-Year Coma

Aired September 14, 2002 - 17:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For seven and a half heartbreaking years, his family watched him as he was comatose. Now, a Honolulu man has emerged from that coma. Reporter Rob Young of affiliate KGMB News has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB YOUNG, KGMB CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The South Pacific island of Chuck (ph) is a long way from Hawaii. But in 1991, Peter Sana made the move. He was young and hungry for life.

Today, he's lucky to be alive.

Shortly after arriving in Hawaii, Peter was struck down with viral encephalitis. Within days, he was in a coma. For the next seven and a half years, he had no brain activity at all. But Peter did have the father, right there by his side to hold his hand every day.

ERNIST SANA, FATHER: I massage him, the leg, and I talk to him.

YOUNG (on camera): You also read him the Bible, I understand?

E. SANA: Yeah, I read the Bible. I pray.

BENTER SANA, BROTHER: For me, I was kind of losing hope after all these years. We were just hoping for a miracle.

YOUNG (voice-over): And then that miracle happened.

B. SANA: One time, I came by to see him and I saw the nurse, worked with her. She was talking to him, started moving his arm. That's when I realized that he's coming back.

YOUNG: The progress has been slow, but Peter's nurse, Fidelis Acoba, and the staff at Pearl City (ph) nursing home have worked wonders. Peter can repeat words. And, on occasion, his brother can even make him smile.

(on camera): Even though he's made a miraculous recovery, Peter still faces months, if not years, of rehabilitation. But given all that he's accomplished in such a short time, there's no reason to expect anything but the best for him.

FIDELIS ACOBA, NURSE AIDE: I don't know, maybe he can walk later, or he can get up in bed. YOUNG (voice-over): Though small improvements would be huge steps for Peter, nothing short of the miracle he's already pulled off.

Rob Young, KGMB 9 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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