A teenager from India who was declared brain dead and given no hope of survival by doctors just shocked everyone when he “came back to life” just before he was to be cremated.

Gandham Kiran, 18, of the city of Telangana suffered from dengue and jaundice as well as a severe case of Hepatitis B. When he slipped into a coma, doctors said that there was no chance he’d survive, but his mother continued to pray for him. Doctors also told Gandham’s mother that she should take him off life support so he could die peacefully, but she refused to do this, instead choosing to keep him on oxygen as he was taken back to his home visit.

Once they were home, Gandham’s family began preparing for his funeral, and his mother wrapped him in the customary cremation cloth that is put on just before a body is burned. That’s when she realized that her “dead” son was still alive, and that her prayers had been answered!

The family immediately called doctor G Rajababu Reddy who confirmed that Gandham really was alive.

“He had a very faint pulse,” Dr. Reddy told them.

Over the next few days, Gandham’s condition improved steadily.

“His condition became stable and now he has improved significantly. He is even talking to his mother,” Dr. Reddy said, adding that he’d never seen anything like this before.

Gandham’s recovery is especially meaningful to his mother, as she has devoted her life to her children since losing her husband many years ago.

“After losing my husband in 2005, I worked as a laborer to raise my two sons and gave them [an] education,” the woman said. “They are everything for me.”