Why General Hospital's Michael Corinthos Spent Part Of His Childhood In A Coma

After Sonny Corinthos decided to distance himself from the mob, he focused his attention on his legitimate coffee importing business (via Soap Central). Wanting to expose his son to the operation that would one day be passed on to him, Sonny brought Michael to the coffee warehouse to show him how things were done. However, that same night rival mobster Claudia Zacchara (Sarah Joy Brown, who played the role of Carly years earlier) had hired a sniper named Ian Devlin (Seamus Dever) to take Sonny out. Unfortunately, the shooter's aim was slightly off and the bullet he fired ricocheted off a piece of metal shelving and hit little Michael in the head.

Michael was rushed to the hospital, but fell into a coma shortly after, per Soaps. His parents and extended family were devastated when the doctors told them that his comatose state would probably be permanent. In May 2008, Carly and Sonny agreed to have Michael transferred to a long-term care facility where he would remain for nearly a year. Eventually, Carly and Sonny decided to have Michael undergo an experimental and controversial surgery in order to reverse his coma. The procedure was successfully performed by Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) and Michael finally awoke a year after the shooting (having been aged into a teenager and then being played by Drew Garrett).