Mike Connelly's family and many of his nurses are calling him a miracle man ---- and doctors are hard-pressed to disagree, according to a published report.

The 56-year-old Vista, Ca. man's heart stopped in late January, and he lay in a coma for 96 hours before his family tearfully gave the OK for physicians at Tri-City Medical Center to disconnect life support, the North County Times reported.

That's when Connelly woke up.

His stepson, Mike Cooper, was reading Scripture beside Connelly's hospital bed last week when he saw a tear slide down the man's cheek.

Cooper said he didn't think that was significant until he left the room and started walking down the hallway, only to hear shouts from a family member still at Connelly's side.