By Myrlia Purcell on
Hollywood hero Johnny Depp and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell have brought hope and joy to the families of two teenage girls in comas.
Earlier this month, Halliwell visited Jessica Knight, a 14-year-old girl who was attacked and left for dead while walking in a park near her home. Jessica suffered a stroke while fighting for her life on the surgeon’s table, and had been in a coma for six days when Halliwell paid the family a surprise visit.
“Geri sang a couple of lines of one of their songs and Jessica started moving her arms and legs,” said Jessica’s mother, Jill Walmsley.
“It was amazing. We were all in fits of giggles because we were so relieved and it was just so funny seeing her legs move to Geri’s singing. The next day, she opened her eyes for the first time.”
Jessica had planned to attend the Spice Girls concert in Manchester, but the stabbing occurred two days before the show. A family member got in touch with the band, prompting Geri to try to help.
The family of Johnny Depp fan Sophie Wilkinson is hoping for a similar result with their 17-year-old daughter. The teenager has been in a coma since an accident five months ago, when a truck collided with the car she was in.
Sophie’s father, Andrew, wrote to the Pirates of the Caribbean star, asking for help.
“We are looking for the key to wake her up, so we wrote to Johnny and he said he would do the recording in the voice of Jack Sparrow,” he said.
Depp was so moved by Mr. Wilkinson’s letter that he recorded the message, and said that he would also try to visit her in the hospital.
“After the accident, we were told she wouldn’t make it through the night, but she has fought on and we know she is still in there,” says Andrew.
“Only this week, Sophie moved her right leg which she has never done before. When we got home, my wife and I were jumping for joy.”
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
