Statute of Limitations - Extensions or Excuses

We found out the statute of limitations for slander is two years from when the plaintiff first learns of the defamatory statement, however this is different from state-to-state. Some states only allow a year, or a year and six months and a few states allow up to three years. In some civil cases the statute of limitations can be delayed due to certain circumstances...one of them made me raise my eyebrow, but here goes: (1) if you were hospitalized in a coma for a year; (2) if you were a minor at the time; (3) if you were in combat zone; 0r (4) you were not able to afford a lawyer...Of course the 4th "excuse" has not been used yet.