Former Australia cricketer Damien Martyn has revealed that he has started walking again after being discharged from hospital following a life-threatening battle with meningitis.
Martyn, who featured in 67 Tests for Australia, fell ill on Boxing Day and was taken to hospital on the Gold Coast late last month, where he was placed in an induced coma while doctors treated the infection. After regaining the ability to speak, the former batter was discharged and is now continuing his recovery at home.
“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!….” Martyn wrote in a post on social media.
“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,” he added.
Expressing relief at being back home, Martyn said the experience had given him a renewed appreciation of life.
“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 concluded.
Martyn was a key figure in Australia’s golden era, memorably playing a crucial role in the 2003 ODI World Cup final against India, where he scored an unbeaten 88 despite batting with a broken finger and sharing a match-winning 234-run partnership with captain Ricky Ponting.
He was also part of Australia’s victorious squads at the 1999 ODI World Cup and the 2006 Champions Trophy. Over the course of his career, Martyn amassed 4,406 runs in 67 Test matches at an average of 46.37.
In 208 ODIs, he scored 5,346 runs at an average of 40.90, with a highest score of 144 not out, with his gritty 88 in the 2003 World Cup final remaining one of the defining knocks of his career.