by Ed Targett

As Luke Mitchell lay critically ill in a coma, a slab of skull missing from his head, doctors debated whether or not to switch off his life support machine.

But the 32-year-old miraculously pulled through and now, sitting in his Herne Bay living room, looks like he can't quite believe how close he was to death.

Less than 18 months ago, the dad-of-two was in a coma in London's King's Hospital with a skull broken in three places.

The IT consultant doesn't remember falling on a night out at the Beercart Arms in Canterbury.

But he does remember waking up in a cold sweat in hospital three months later – unable to move his legs, a tube in his throat and his short-term memory gone.

Now the computer programmer has spoken about his ordeal as he prepares to abseil down St Anne's Court to raise money for the charity Headway, who helped him recover.

He said: "Three or four times the doctors wanted to turn off the machine, but my family wouldn't let them. A slab of my skull larger than my hand has been removed; it's now titanium under there. I have a metal head."

Luke had barely settled back at home when his wife Gemma and mother of his two children announced their marriage was over.

He said: "I was recovering at Strode Park and going to Headway, who just do little things but they help so much, like playing chess, reading, painting.

"My marriage breaking up was hard – it all came at once. But I've really made a great recovery, although my short-term memory is still shot. I wanted to do this abseil as Headway were amazing."

The progress has been on more than just the physical front: Luke's now engaged to Elaine Bartley – although he had to ask three times before she said yes.

Elaine, 38, said: "The first time he asked he'd had a few to drink, so I told him he would have to ask properly.

"The second time he muttered 'how about it then?' but that wasn't good enough either so he finally did the proper thing and went down on one knee with a ring."

Luke is abseiling off St Anne's Court on November 17, at 2pm. To sponsor him visit www.justgiving.com/lukemitchell1980 or pop into the Diver’s Arms.