Two months after waking up from a coma in the intensive care unit, Viviane told us how difficult it had been to lie in bed all the time, to listen to the alarm sounds of the machines, how the gray ceiling looked, how she heard the voices of deceased family members whom she sometimes saw standing next to her bed, and ... how she even thought about asking for "an injection," ... but also how she was now able to quietly enjoy the little things again, such as eating or looking out the window

Viviane shared these experiences with Annemie Struyf journalist at VRT in 2015, and this became a gripping part of the Via Annemie report on life in intensive care at UZ Leuven (Via Annemie, 2015). Annemie was clearly touched by Viviane's story and a silence fell ... then Annemie asked, "Isn't there anything I can please you with?", Viviane thought about it and replied, "A mango, I would like to taste that again." At the end of her observation period in intensive care, Annemie visited Viviane again and brought her a mango as a gift. Now it was Viviane who was touched by Annemie's small gesture and said, with tears in her eyes, "I'm never going to forget this!".

It was this story that inspired the development of the Mangomoment concept and subsequent scientific study. The Mangomoment is a trademark of KU Leuven. 

You can relive the very first Mangomoment again via the video below!