'Dead' Man Comes To Life In Morgue, Doctors Call Recovery A 'Miracle'

A 48-year-old man who was declared dead miraculously came back to life in the morgue, media reports said Sunday. The incident took place recently in the city of Gloucester in the west of England.

According to local reports, Joao Araujo, 48, a postman, was admitted in the intensive care unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the wheel while taking his wife to work. Doctors tried for six hours to revive the man but failed and informed his family of his death. However, when nurses were transporting him to the morgue they noticed he was moving — 21 minutes after he was pronounced dead. Tests revealed that Araujo’s heart had started beating again.

"I say thank you that I am alive, I say thank you that I have a job. I give more value to my family and my friends. When I was at the hospital they had no explanation for my problem so people started calling me the 'Miracle Man'," Araujo said of his survival. "Unlike everything else in the body below the eyes, they said that the brain is a mystery, it's like a Pandora's Box... They did not have the knowledge to know the reason behind what happened. Doctors can't believe I am alive without any damage in my heart, brain or body."

Doctors initially thought that he would have some permanent brain damage due to a 21-minute lack of oxygen. However, when he regained consciousness following three days in coma, his condition miraculously improved.

Doctors tried to work out the reason behind the miraculous recovery, and concluded that Araujo’s brain had not sent the correct signal to his heart.

"Out of hospital cardiac arrest with prolonged and unsuccessful attempt at CPR but with spontaneous return of circulation soon after CPR was discontinued," medical notes about the episode state, according to the Sun.