Family’s devotion helps
Pearl City coma victim

The meningitis patient regains
consciousness after 7 years of care

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Associated Press

When Peter Sana went into a deep coma in March 1995, Bill Clinton was president and the murder trial of O.J. Simpson was still going on.

Now that he's regained consciousness, Sana has a lot of catching up to do.

Over the past month, Sana has begun responding to commands from his nurse at the Pearl City Nursing Home.

"That's remarkable, because I think, for the most part, everyone just kind of gave up on this guy," nursing home administrator Bernie Ladesma said.

Sana, who immigrated from Micronesia, was 27 when he went into the coma after contracting meningitis, the inflammation of a membrane that encloses the brain and spinal cord. It is most often caused by a bacterial or viral infection.

The nursing home staff attributes a large part of Sana's recovery to his family and their willingness to visit him regularly over the years.

His father, Ernist Sana, visits his son every day to massage his arms and legs.

"I think that says a lot for tending loving care," Ladesma said. "That's also part of the cure, the healing process."