Man was pronounced dead and had ‘parts of his brain on the floor’ after making common mistake on lads’ holiday

Adam Elnekaveh’s trip to Thailand with his friends turned into a nightmare that changed his life forever. Despite being told by doctors that he would never wake up—and even being pronounced dead at one point—Adam managed to survive against all odds.

While celebrating the launch of his new health app back in May 2018, Adam and his best friend were riding motorcycles around Thailand. The police pulled them over because they weren’t wearing helmets and gave them a fine. Even after paying the fine, Adam, who was 27 years old at the time, stubbornly took his helmet off again. It was a decision that would have devastating consequences.

Adam explained that his friend soon had issues with his bike and asked for help. Adam, who had more motorcycle experience, offered to ride the bike himself. Feeling confident, he even sped up to show off a little. He doesn’t remember exactly what happened next—whether he slipped or something else went wrong—but he lost control of the motorcycle and crashed.

The crash was horrific. Adam’s head smashed into the ground, cracking his skull open so badly that part of his brain was exposed. Oil from the motorcycle leaked into his brain, making the injury even worse. When emergency services rushed him to the hospital, doctors had no choice but to perform emergency surgery and remove the parts of his brain contaminated by the oil. Today, about 15% of Adam’s skull has been replaced with plastic.

Doctors warned Adam’s parents, who had flown all the way from the U.S. to be with him, that things were grim. They were told that he would never wake up from the coma. And if he somehow did, he would likely be paralyzed or permanently brain-damaged. At one point, doctors even declared Adam dead. His best friend, in tears and panic, called Adam’s family screaming that parts of Adam’s brain were on the floor.

Everyone feared the worst. But then, something incredible happened: ten days after the accident, Adam woke up. His parents were shocked and overwhelmed, and the doctors could barely believe it. They even apologized to Adam’s family for giving up hope too soon and starting hospice paperwork.

However, waking up was only the beginning of a long, painful journey. Adam had suffered serious memory loss and physical injuries. He had to relearn basic things, like walking. For four months, he was in a wheelchair. After that, he used a cane for three more months. Then came two more months of wearing a leg brace. Altogether, it took about a year for Adam to regain enough strength to move around without help.

Even today, Adam still deals with the effects of his brain injury. Since he hit the right side of his brain, the left side of his body doesn’t work the same. His left arm and leg are weak. He can move his fingers and toes but struggles to fully bend his knee or use his arm properly.

Adam also carries a lot of emotional pain. He feels guilty for removing his helmet and admits he suffers from PTSD because of the accident. But instead of giving up, Adam chose to turn his experience into something positive. He wrote a book called *Rebuilding Adam: The Tragedy*, where he tells his story and encourages families of coma patients to never give up hope.

He says his parents’ belief in his recovery made a huge difference. Even when doctors said there was no chance, they kept pushing, fighting, and believing he would heal—and he did. Adam now lives independently. He owns a home, drives a car, runs his own business, travels, and is even dating.

He wants everyone to remember that no matter how hopeless things might seem, time can heal, and miracles do happen. Never stop believing that someone you love can wake up and recover.