'50/50 chance of surviving reminded me of how fragile life is': Damien Martyn on meningitis battle

New Delhi, Jan 17
After being discharged from the hospital following a bout of meningitis, Australian cricket great Damien Martyn shared a health update, saying he has started walking after "life was taken out of my hands when meningitis took over my brain."

Martyn, who represented Australia in 67 Test matches, fell ill with meningitis on Boxing Day and was taken to hospital on the Gold Coast late last month, where he was placed in an induced coma. He woke from the coma earlier this month, began speaking again, and was discharged from hospital.

"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 help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!….

"After being given a 50/50 chance of surviving, I came out of the induced coma 8 days later…not able to walk or talk. And yet 4 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," Martyn shared in a social media post.

"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. This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change & how precious time is!" the post further read.

"There are so many wonderful people in this world … from paramedics (at Mermaid Waters Ambulance), doctors & nurses (at Gold Coast University Hospital) … to family, friends and people I didn’t even know. I feel like I met all these fantastic people in the past 3 weeks, or they reached out to me through messages of love and support," he conlcuded.

Martyn was instrumental in Australia's 2003 ODI World Cup final victory over India, scoring an unbeaten 88 despite batting with a broken finger and forming a crucial 234-run partnership with captain Ricky Ponting.

He was part of the side that also won the 1999 ODI World Cup and the 2006 Champions Trophy. Throughout his career, Martyn scored 4,406 runs in Test matches at an average of 46.37.

Martyn also played 208 ODIs, scoring 5,346 runs at 40.90, with a top score of 144 not out. He made a famous 88 not out in the 2003 World Cup final, batting with a broken finger and sharing an epic partnership with captain Ricky Ponting as Australia beat India.