Former Australian cricket star Damien Martyn has shared an emotional health update after being discharged from hospital following a serious battle with meningitis, revealing that he has begun walking again after spending days in an induced coma.
Martyn, who represented Australia in 67 Test matches, fell ill on Boxing Day and was rushed to hospital on the Gold Coast late last month. Doctors placed him in a paralysed, induced coma for eight days as meningitis severely affected his brain.
Taking to social media, the former batter reflected on the ordeal and his remarkable recovery.
“On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands… when meningitis took over my brain, and unbeknownst to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for 8 days to help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!” Martyn wrote.
This post is A BIG thank you to ALL my family, friends and so many other people who have reached out to me!
— Damien Martyn🏏 (@damienmartyn) January 17, 2026
On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands…when meningitis took over my brain, & unbeknownst to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for 8 days to… pic.twitter.com/3Mt3DS6MZY
Martyn revealed that he was given only a 50/50 chance of survival. When he emerged from the coma eight days later, he was unable to walk or talk.
“Four days after that, with the doctors in disbelief, I walked, I talked and proved to them all why I should be released from hospital to start my recovery,” he added.
‘So Happy to Be Home’: Gratitude After Hospital Discharge
Expressing relief at being back home, Martyn said returning to normal life has been deeply emotional.
“So happy to be home, to be able to put my feet in the sand on the beach and to start thanking all those people that reached out to me and my family in their unwavering support,” he said.
The former cricketer described the experience as a powerful reminder of how quickly life can change.
“This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change and how precious time is.”
Martyn also thanked paramedics, doctors, nurses, family, friends and even strangers who sent messages of encouragement during his hospitalisation.
“There are so many wonderful people in this world — from paramedics to doctors and nurses — to family, friends and people I didn’t even know. I feel like I met all these fantastic people in the past three weeks, or they reached out to me through messages of love and support,” he concluded.
A Champion of Australian Cricket
Martyn remains one of Australia’s most respected middle-order batters. He played a pivotal role in Australia’s triumph in the 2003 ODI World Cup final against India, scoring a famous unbeaten 88 despite batting with a broken finger and sharing a match-defining 234-run partnership with captain Ricky Ponting.
He was also part of Australia’s 1999 ODI World Cup-winning side and the team that lifted the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.
Across his career, Martyn scored 4,406 runs in 67 Test matches at an impressive average of 46.37. In 208 One-Day Internationals, he amassed 5,346 runs at an average of 40.90, with a highest score of 144 not out.