In 1988, a failed effort at attaching two train cars left Polish railway worker Jan Grzebski with massive head injuries. The damage was so extensive that Grzebski slipped into a deep coma, and doctors told his wife, Gertruda, to expect the worst.

Gertruda, however, was undeterred by the doctors' opinions concerning her husband's fate. She dutifully cared for Jan each day he was comatose, carefully shifting his position in bed every hour and planning meaningful visits by assorted family members.

Nineteen years later, Jan finally woke up.

And what did he notice after having been "asleep" for 19 years? He first noticed a loving wife, a hero.

"I am sure that without the dedication of his wife, the patient would not have reached us in the good shape that he did," said a rehabilitation specialist. "He can now move his feet, feeling has returned to his limbs, and he can hold light objects. If he continues to make such progress, he will soon be able to walk."

Grzebski also noticed an entirely different world. Consider that just one year into his comatose state, Communism fell throughout Europe. Gertruda says, "He was amazed to see the colorful streets, the goods. He says the world is prettier now."