In September 1988, Patrol Officer Gary Dockery answered a 911 emergency call in Tennessee. When he arrived at the caller's home, he was shot point-blank in the head. Over 20% of his brain was destroyed.
Gary slipped into a coma — and spent the next seven years in a silent sleep.
Though his condition seemed to only worsen, Gary's loved ones never gave up hope that he would one day wake up from his vegetative state.
Gary's family initially kept him on life support at a nursing home. Eventually, he was transferred to a hospital, where doctors said he was dying from pneumonia, and given a "Do Not Resuscitate" status. All his two sons wanted was to hear their father say "I love you" one more time.
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Doctors gave his family a gut-wrenching choice: Let Gary die from natural causes or put him through very risky surgery.
As the family agonized over their decision, the unthinkable happened.
Gary was considered a "miracle of God" — because after seven years in a coma, Gary woke up for one precious day in February 1996.
Incredibly, Gary started talking directly to his family members … and he had a lot to say.
