37 days unconscious
Ben Askren was unconscious for approximately 37 days after being admitted to hospital with what he thought was a back spasm.
Snapshot · Modern Wisdom
Raw Truths From The Brink Of Death - Ben Askren - #1116
Explore episode
Jun 27, 2026
Where this was said
The Crazy Story Behind Ben's Double Lung Transplant
At 3:02 · chapter starts 0:00
Ben Askren was at the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas when his back began hurting. He went to the hospital on May 27th, was told it was a back spasm, collected his prescription, and returned to the hotel irritated. When the medicine failed — something that had never happened with previous back spasms — his wife began videotaping him sleeping and sent it to doctor friends, who immediately told her to get him back to hospital. Ben protested; his wife won. He walked into the emergency room waiting area and that is the last thing he remembers. What he did not know: a staph infection that had cleared from his elbow weeks earlier had entered his bloodstream and triggered necrotising pneumonia — a condition in which his body was literally eating his lungs from the inside out. By the time doctors understood what they were dealing with, the only way to keep him alive was a double lung transplant. He was unconscious for approximately 37 days and in hospital for about 73 in total. When he finally came to, in the dark, alone, unable to speak, a nurse told him he had had a double lung transplant. He had absolutely no idea how that could have happened. [1] — Ben Askren "Ben Askren walked into a hospital thinking he had a back spasm and woke up 37 days later with someone else's lungs. A staph infection on hi…" 01:42
Only a 40% Chance of Coming Off ECMO
When Ben was flown back to Milwaukee on June 6th last year, doctors had to fully paralyse him for transport. On arrival, they put him on ECMO — a machine that only about 40% of patients come off alive. Ben made it. Most don't.
40% chance of coming off ECMO
Patients placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) have only about a 40% chance of surviving to come off the machine.
From Back Spasm to Double Lung Transplant
Ben Askren walked into a hospital thinking he had a back spasm and woke up 37 days later with someone else's lungs. A staph infection on his elbow had entered his bloodstream, triggered necrotising pneumonia, and caused his body to eat his lungs from the inside out.
Waking Up Not Knowing You Have New Lungs
Ben Askren woke up in the dark, alone, unable to speak, having no idea why he was in a hospital. A nurse told him he'd had a double lung transplant. His wife arrived in the morning with a day-by-day journal of everything that had happened while he was unconscious.
Similar snapshots
500 self-help techniques → 12 levers
Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson analyzed almost 500 self-improvement techniques and found they all reduce to just 12 underlying psychological drivers.
Cold exposure: weak long-term evidence
Cold exposure has good short-term alertness benefits but the evidence base for long-term health benefits is much weaker than popularly believed.
20 habit techniques tested; almost none worked
In a randomized study of 20 habit-formation techniques run on hundreds of people, almost none of the techniques produced statistically meaningful results.
Tiny habit users stick to the FULL habit more
People given a tiny-habit fallback option (e.g. 10 squats instead of gym) were actually MORE successful at completing the full habit, not less.
Habit reflection = standout technique
The most effective habit-formation technique was 'habit reflection' — recalling a past successful habit, writing down what helped, then applying those lessons to a new habit.
Behavioral activation rivals CBT for depression
A study found that simply scheduling enjoyable activities was as effective as standard cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, leading to its own therapy called behavioral activation.
Worry time: batch all worries to 5 PM
The 'worry time' technique — deferring all worries to a designated time of day — helps people realize they have more control over worry than they thought and reveals it is less useful than it feels.
Sleeping faster by trying to stay awake
A study found that participants told to try to stay awake while in bed fell asleep faster than participants told to try to sleep — illustrating the paradox of direct effort.
Social anxiety eliminated in ~6 months
Spencer Greenberg reduced his severe social anxiety dramatically in roughly 6 months through a structured exposure therapy hierarchy, culminating in asking strangers for hugs.
