Sam Boughen Awakes From Coma After Liver Disease, Asks For KFC

Sam Boughen, a 26-year-old father in the UK, has faced his fair share of hurdles: because of a rare genetic disease, he's needed two liver transplants. Due to complications related to the transplants, he's also survived a blocked artery, a bout of e. coli, and a life-threatening lung infection.

When Boughen contracted the lung infection following his second transplant, doctors feared administering a full dose of the appropriate medications would harm the liver. So instead of antibiotics, he ended up in a coma for 8 days -- this in addition to having spent the prior six months in the hospital.

After he opened his eyes eight days later, reports The Telegraph, he couldn't speak and had to communicate by writing on an iPad. "We all held our breath the first time he started writing," said his father, Martin. "We thought he would tell us that he loved us - but instead he asked for a KFC. Then we knew we had Sam back."

According to The Sun, he specifically requested a chicken burger with gravy. Doctors prohibited the meal.

Apparently this wasn't the first time Boughen had food on his mind. Earlier in his hospital stay he tweeted:

In a later tweet responding to The Telegraph article, Boughen emphasized that he'd intended the interview to draw attention to the importance of being an organ donor -- not KFC.