I Lived Another Life In a Coma | It Happened to Me

Overview

Keenan recounts surviving a severe medical crisis that involved an induced coma. He describes the experience as a “different life,” feeling like a glimpse into his future.

While he was comatose, he believed he was living within an affluent family scenario—having twins, returning home to a large glass-fronted house by the water, and watching his family life unfold. In reality, he says his wife, Olivia, was facing life-threatening circumstances while he was in the ICU in Birmingham.

What happened medically (as he explains it)

After the initial event, Keenan says he woke up having missed weeks of his children’s lives. He describes being rushed from initial care to Heartlands Hospital, where he was placed into an induced coma.

Diagnoses and complications included

• Severe rhabdomyolysis
• Swelling of the brain (described as insufficient space between the skull and brain)
• Multiple organ failure, including stage four kidney failure, which doctors told him was irreversible

Updates his wife received and shared

Keenan says Olivia received repeated updates that he might not survive, including at least one warning framed as “24 hours left,” along with pressure to cancel plans.

The “future vision” he says he lived in the coma

Keenan claims his coma included memories that felt real:

• A holiday where he believed twins were born
• Returning to a large house and seeing his sons—Roman and River—already integrated into the imagined family life
• A second coma he believes lasted “8 days,” which he says was reinforced by a countdown on a Garmin watch he remembers

When he regained consciousness

When Keenan woke, he initially interpreted reality through that imagined timeline—expecting new babies and a different living situation. He describes becoming confused and distressed when Olivia corrected him.

Recovery and life outcomes

Keenan describes rehabilitation goals—starting with standing for 30 seconds—as “soul-destroying,” because he did not know what his future would look like.

Key milestones

• Discharged on 9 December
• Returned to training by 6 January, initially severely limited and using crutches
• Says he eventually regained a stable life
• Confirms the wedding took place the following August, describing it as deeply emotional and meaningful because it represented survival and a return to normalcy

Trying for a third child

• A pregnancy test came back positive
• At the ultrasound, Keenan says the nurse reportedly announced there were two babies
• He says he felt this strongly matched what he believed he had seen during the comas

What he believes it all means

Keenan frames the experience as reassurance—telling him he needed to stay strong for his family and that his life would reach the “successful family” state he believed he saw.

He emphasizes that his recovery and family stability were supported not only by his own determination, but also by his community (friends and his fitness community) and the NHS—thanking staff at QE/ICU/Heartlands, including specifically the ICU department and the Heartlands care team.

Current family update (from him)

• He says the twins are one boy and one girl (first twin a boy, second a girl)
• He describes major life changes as:
  • Being more present with his children (reading books, bedtime routines, and handling school runs)
  • A shift in how he channels ambition and measures success

Presenters or Contributors

• Keenan (main speaker, storyteller)
• Olivia (“Liv”) (Keenan’s wife; referenced throughout)
• Nurse/medical staff (unnamed; referenced in his account)
• Physios (referenced in his rehabilitation; not individually named)
• Ultrasound clinician (not named; referenced at the scan)