Tragedy of the man stuck in March 20, 1980 for the last five years: Father, 63, who woke from a coma in 2019 and lost 39 years of his life says his memory hasn't budged since and his life is 'a well of darkness'

A begetter who woke from a coma successful 2019 while believing it was still 1980 has said his representation hasn't budged, describing his life arsenic a good of darkness.

Luciano D'Adamo was progressive successful a horrific hit-and-run car mishap 5 years ago, but erstwhile he awoke successful hospital, he was met pinch nan shocking revelation that he had mentally mislaid 39 years of his life.

The father-of-two has now spoken retired astir nan tragic incident and his recovery, which has near him experiencing conscionable 'flashes of memories'.

Speaking to Corriere Della Serra, D'Adamo recalled waking up from his coma astatine the Santo Spirito infirmary successful Rome, wherever he was asked by doctors who successful his family they should pass of his status.

D'Adamo, who still thought he was 23, told nan medics to telephone his mother, explaining he had been successful a car crash.

'I was twenty-three and wanted to spell retired soon, I had nary superior bruises but conscionable a small disorder successful my head,' he told nan Italian newspaper.

The expert asked if he was married, but still mentally stuck successful 1980, DAdamo told him he would beryllium marrying his 19-year-old woman soon.

He looked up, surprised, from nan aesculapian records and smiled, “Do you understand? Wow, congratulations.” I didn’t understand what nan hellhole location was to laughter about,' he said.

The confused diligent was past quickly introduced to his mother - but he didn't recognise nan female successful nan 'strange' business arsenic nan infirmary quickly brushed it disconnected saying nan woman had travel into nan incorrect room.

Another man entered nan infirmary room, and caught D'Adamo by astonishment erstwhile he called him Dad. 

'Here’s nan crazy guy, I thought. He must person been thirty, really could he beryllium my son, since I’m twenty-three?, he said.

'He takes thing retired of his pouch pinch immoderate photos connected it that he shows me. I don’t admit immoderate of them, I don’t understand who he is aliases what he’s talking about'.

D'Adamo past faced himself successful nan bath mirror, wherever successful his mind he was a 23-year-old man but nan reflection showed thing wholly different.

'I locomotion successful beforehand of nan reflector and look astatine nan personification who appears. It's an aged gentleman, not me,' he recalled.

'It's personification else. I scream, nan nurses travel and effort to calm maine down. I was terrified, it seemed for illustration a scary movie'

The doctors past explained to D'Adamo that it was 2019, but it seemed intolerable to him - arsenic for nan clang victim, it was still March 20, 1980.

He realised he had mislaid 39 years of memories, and was successful disbelief that he could beryllium 60-years-old.

'The doctors couldn't explicate what was happening to me, they told nan woman and nan boy that it would pass, that each it took was a batch of patience,' he said.

But 5 years person passed since D'Adamao awoke, and he claims that thing has happened, 'my representation is stuck connected that time successful March 1980 and it hasn't budged from there'.

His woman explained that nan mishap had happened almost forty years prior, and while she was speaking, he revealed he recognised her.

'It was her, nan nineteen-year-old woman I was going to spot connected nan greeting of nan accident, astatine slightest of "my" accident,; he said, recalling her showing him their wedding photos.

D'Adamo said he still has nary memories, but has tried years of reconstructive work at nan Santa Lucia Institute wherever he has attempted to stitch his life backmost together.

He and his woman prepared folders and notes wherever they documented anniversaries and different milestones successful an effort to jog his memory, but D'Adamo revealed they only sometimes travel backmost to him 'in nan shape of flashes'.

He knowledgeable nan astir aggravated flashes pinch 2 clear memories of nan commencement of his 2 sons Simone and Marco.

'Every item came backmost to mind, I saw them again by surviving them, not simply remembering them,' he said.

'My representation is for illustration a jukebox, 1 of those from nan summers of nan Seventies. You put successful nan 100 lire, nan records spin, spin, until they extremity and only 1 comes down connected nan turntable to beryllium listened to'. 

D'Adamo is still adjusting to having a boy successful his 30s older than he knew himself to be - and is amazed by smartphones and GPS navigation arsenic he refamiliarises himself pinch a brave caller world. 

'At a definite constituent I saw that location was a achromatic container that I didn't understand what it was. Then my woman pushed a fastener and I realized it was a tv screen.,' he said.

Five years later, nan schoolhouse caretaker is still moving pinch doctors and his family to portion backmost together nan clip lost, building caller relationships pinch his wife, son and grandchildren, and slow reintegrating successful 2024.

Today, he says he still has challenges.

'Sometimes I opportunity that I would for illustration to alert connected a plane, I person ne'er done it,' he told Italian media recently.

'My woman says to me: "What are you talking about? We were successful Paris together."

'And I reply: "You person been there, I haven't."'

There has been a batch to relearn. Luciano was a lifelong Roma instrumentality - but woke up pinch nary thought who nan club's iconic guardant Francesco Totti was, aliases nan titles won successful 1982-83 and 2000-01.

He does not callback nan September 11 attacks, aliases nan Berlusconi years person to home.

Luciano's past memories earlier nan mishap were of moving arsenic a crushed operations serviceman at Fiumicino airdrome connected March 20, 1980.

He has started over, moving successful a school. And he has recovered immoderate acceptance that he is nary longer a young man and cannot tally up nan stairs arsenic he utilized to.

Luciano still has nary compensation for nan accident, nor immoderate thought precisely what happened.

The hit-and-run driver fled and was ne'er found. 

'I americium not happy. I cannot be. I recovered retired that my mother died and I don't moreover retrieve erstwhile I went to her funeral. One of my brothers, location are 4 of america left, I didn't moreover recognise him,' he recalled.

'I fight, I person a bully character. But I person only lived a 3rd of my life. Thirty-nine years are successful nan dark.

'I person learned that only representation is life lived.

'The remainder flies successful nan wind'.