It has just been reported that a woman who went into a coma back in 1991 finally woke up in a hospital in Germany in 2018 after 27 years.

Munira Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates was 32 years-old and had just picked up her 4 year-old son from school when the car she was a passenger in collided with a bus. At the time, Munira was in the backseat with her young son as her brother-in-law drove the vehicle.

“When she saw the crash coming she hugged me to protect me from the blow,” said her son Omar Webair, now 32, who was left uninjured in the crash. Omar stood by his mother during the years that she was in her coma, refusing to ever give up on her. Day after day, Omar would spend hours sitting by his mother’s side just waiting for her to wake up.

“I never gave up on her because I always had a feeling that one day she will wake up,” he said. “I believe that, because of my support for her, God saved me from bigger troubles.”

Omar also recalled the moment that his mother finally woke up.

“She was making strange sounds and I kept calling the doctors to examine her. They said everything was normal,” he said. “Then, three days later, I woke up to the sound of someone calling my name. It was her. She was calling my name. I was flying with joy. For years I have dreamt of this moment, and my name was the first word she said.”

Dr. Friedemann Müller, the head doctor at the hospital Munira was at, explained that a long process followed after she showed signs of waking up.

“It’s not like waking up in the morning,” he explained. “It was a process over weeks as reactions and vocalizations increased and improved.”

Months later, Munira is back in the United Arab Emirates with her family. Doctors say that while she is still in a wheelchair and has extensive brain damage, she can consciously perceive her environment and communicate using speech.

“She takes part in family life and if somebody is gone traveling she notices and wants to know where that person is,” Müller said.

Omar decided to go public this week to encourage the family members of others in longterm comas to never give up.

“I shared her story to tell people not to lose hope on their loved ones,” he said.