Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, who has been in a coma in recent weeks after battling cancer and pneumonia, is now awake and able to speak.

The 62-year old has been fighting advanced colorectal and liver cancer for the past several months and saw his health go into rapid decline after rounds of chemotherapy affected his immune system. The coma had doctors and family preparing for the worst, but despite being extremely weak and malnourished, Gibb is showing signs of improvement–something his doctors consider to be a wonder.

Dr. Thillainayagam, who has been overseeing Gibb’s treatment and progress, released a statement regarding his almost miraculous recovery, saying:

“Robin is fully conscious, lucid and able to speak to his loved ones. He is breathing on his own, with an oxygen mask. He is on intravenous feeding and antibiotics. He is of course, exhausted, extremely weak and malnourished. Our immediate goals are to ensure that Robin’s swallowing mechanism is safe enough to allow him to eat and drink, and that he recovers enough strength to breathe effectively, without needing high levels of oxygen by mask. When this happens, we will be able to begin the process of nutritional and physical rehabilitation and may be able to move him from the intensive care unit to the ward.
The road ahead for Robin remains uncertain but it is a privilege to look after such an extraordinary human being”.

While the trip back to strength will be a long and arduous one, the outlook for Gibb isn’t quite so bleak, and for that, his friends and family are thankful.