Listen free for 30 days

Preview
  • The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up

  • A True Story
  • Written by: Rich Blake
  • Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
  • Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up

Written by: Rich Blake
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.31

Buy Now for $23.31

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Donny Herbert was a hardworking Buffalo city firefighter who, in December 1995, was searching the attic of a burning house when the snow-laden roof collapsed. For six minutes he was without oxygen. A beloved husband, a father of four boys, a neighborhood fixture who was always willing to lend a helping hand, Donny fell into a vegetative state that lasted nearly a decade. His prognosis was poor, and while he could open his eyes, he was unresponsive to the world around him. Donny Herbert was, for all practical purposes, gone. Until one day, in April 2005, when he woke up and spoke almost nonstop to his family and loved ones for nearly 16 hours.

The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up is the story of this remarkable moment, which was covered by the press worldwide, from the New York Times to the AP newswire. For his wife, Linda, who had held the family together for years, who had prayed nightly for Donny’s recovery, it was a miracle. For his doctors and nurses, it was a medical mystery. For his sons - including his youngest, with whom he had never before had a conversation - it was a blessing. After his remarkable day, Donny Herbert fell into a deep sleep and never experienced a comparable moment of clarity. He died, in February 2006, from pneumonia.

Written by Linda’s cousin, The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up makes the listener wonder: Was it an experimental drug cocktail or an act of God that brought Donny back? Linda believes that each contributed to the miraculous day when he woke, but more than anything, she credits Donny himself - a man with the strength to will himself back into his family’s lives, if only to remind them one last time of how very much he loved them.

This is as much Linda’s story - one of perseverance and faith - as it is of a remarkable husband, father, and firefighter.

©2007 Rich Blake (P)2007 Books on Tape
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

“[A] gripping true story.” (Publishers Weekly)

“The carpe-diem message resonates clearly in this moving, bittersweet account of another of life’s mysterious miracles.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“An excellent biography that reads like a novel, with a plot recording the events and a subplot delving into whether Herbert’s sixteen-hour return to consciousness was a miracle.” (Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.