End of Life Care: Miracles
by ALL
Released October 14, 2005
A non-comprehensive compendium of cases of patients who have awakened and/or improved following a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state, irreversible coma or death
Prepared with the assitance of Julie Grimstad
Peter Sana
A Hawaii man who spent seven years in a coma regained consciousness in September, 2002. Peter Sana slipped into the coma after contacting meningitis. He spent most of those seven years in a nursing home, unresponsive to all contact. But during the summer of 2002, he began to respond to commands from the nursing staff. Throughout the seven years, Sana's father visited every day. The nursing home staff believes those daily visits played a large part in Sana's eventual recovery.
Ryan Atencio
A 9-year-old boy was taken off life-support systems (only a feeding tube was left in place) after receiving a massive head injury in a December 10, 1988 car accident. "There was no brain function," said Dr. Eustaquio Abay at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Witchita, Kansas. "Three or four times we'd seen the pulse go down to zero -- no circulation at all to the brain for 30 minutes on end." Yet, on January 19, 1989, Ryan squeezed his mother's hand and opened his eyes. ["Boy who was 'gone' opens his eyes and squeezes mom's hand", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (United Press International Report), 1/26/89, p. A3.]
Mitchell Berman
A 9-year-old, comatose for 5 months due to hemalytic-uremic syndrome, was not expected to survive. On May 31, 1991, Mitchell spoke his first I words since he went into a coma December 31, 1990. "1 want a hot dog," he told his mother. Since then, his progress has been phenomenal, said Dr. Geof McPhee, director of pediatrics at New Medico Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center of the Gulf Coast in Slidell, Louisiana. "If he does have residual deficits, I don't think it's gonna slow this kid down," said Dr. McPhee. ["Boy's complaints welcome after coma," The (FargoMoorhead) Forum (AP Report), 6/9/91, p. A17.]
Yolanda Blake
A 53-year-old New Jersey woman woke from a coma on December 15, 1990, just one day after a judge ruled that the hospital need not follow the request of the woman's friend and her sister that she be given life-support measures, including the insertion of a naso-gastric feeding tube. Yolanda, Who had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1987, suffered severe blood loss for unknown reasons and collapsed on November 30, 1990 while vacationing. She was taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, PA. Contending that Yolanda had told them not to use any .. extraordinary measures" to keep her alive, doctors at the medical center did not insert either a feeding tube or a urinary catheter. When her friend, Richard Harley, protested the lack of treatment, the hospital took the case to court. A Monroe County judge ruled in favor of the hospital, saying that Yolanda should be allowed to "die with dignity." When she awoke, Yolanda was asked if she wanted to live. "Of course I do," she replied. She also insisted on "the best possible" care and a transfer to another hospital that would provide it. ["Woman Denied Food Awakes From Coma", Liz Townsend, National Right to Life News, 1/8/91, pp. 1 and 24.]
Mary Kay Blakely
In 1984, Blakely, national essayist and "Ms" magazine editor, lapsed into a 9-day diabetic coma. She then published a book -- Wake Me When It's Over -- about the extraordinary experience that "saved and transformed my life." Blakely described her-comatose body as like a broken transmitter: she could receive, but not send any messages. She experienced sound and touch, but could not respond. The coma altered her view of what's important -- and what's not. She now understands the critical need to slow down, and enjoy some of life's pleasures. ["Author recounts nine-day coma that 'transformed my life", Leslie Walters, Minnesota Women's Press, 7/16-29/ 89, p. 9.] (Note: This item may not appear to belong with this list of cases, but it points out that people in coma may have experiences we can know nothing about because they do not respond to outside stimuli. Furthermore, at least one state (Colorado) has a dangerous "living will" law that allows life-sustaining measures, including tube-feeding and intravenous fluids, to be discontinued from patients who have been in a coma for as short a time as seven days.)
by ALL
Released October 14, 2005
A non-comprehensive compendium of cases of patients who have awakened and/or improved following a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state, irreversible coma or death
Prepared with the assitance of Julie Grimstad
Peter Sana
A Hawaii man who spent seven years in a coma regained consciousness in September, 2002. Peter Sana slipped into the coma after contacting meningitis. He spent most of those seven years in a nursing home, unresponsive to all contact. But during the summer of 2002, he began to respond to commands from the nursing staff. Throughout the seven years, Sana's father visited every day. The nursing home staff believes those daily visits played a large part in Sana's eventual recovery.
Ryan Atencio
A 9-year-old boy was taken off life-support systems (only a feeding tube was left in place) after receiving a massive head injury in a December 10, 1988 car accident. "There was no brain function," said Dr. Eustaquio Abay at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Witchita, Kansas. "Three or four times we'd seen the pulse go down to zero -- no circulation at all to the brain for 30 minutes on end." Yet, on January 19, 1989, Ryan squeezed his mother's hand and opened his eyes. ["Boy who was 'gone' opens his eyes and squeezes mom's hand", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (United Press International Report), 1/26/89, p. A3.]
Mitchell Berman
A 9-year-old, comatose for 5 months due to hemalytic-uremic syndrome, was not expected to survive. On May 31, 1991, Mitchell spoke his first I words since he went into a coma December 31, 1990. "1 want a hot dog," he told his mother. Since then, his progress has been phenomenal, said Dr. Geof McPhee, director of pediatrics at New Medico Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center of the Gulf Coast in Slidell, Louisiana. "If he does have residual deficits, I don't think it's gonna slow this kid down," said Dr. McPhee. ["Boy's complaints welcome after coma," The (FargoMoorhead) Forum (AP Report), 6/9/91, p. A17.]
Yolanda Blake
A 53-year-old New Jersey woman woke from a coma on December 15, 1990, just one day after a judge ruled that the hospital need not follow the request of the woman's friend and her sister that she be given life-support measures, including the insertion of a naso-gastric feeding tube. Yolanda, Who had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1987, suffered severe blood loss for unknown reasons and collapsed on November 30, 1990 while vacationing. She was taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, PA. Contending that Yolanda had told them not to use any .. extraordinary measures" to keep her alive, doctors at the medical center did not insert either a feeding tube or a urinary catheter. When her friend, Richard Harley, protested the lack of treatment, the hospital took the case to court. A Monroe County judge ruled in favor of the hospital, saying that Yolanda should be allowed to "die with dignity." When she awoke, Yolanda was asked if she wanted to live. "Of course I do," she replied. She also insisted on "the best possible" care and a transfer to another hospital that would provide it. ["Woman Denied Food Awakes From Coma", Liz Townsend, National Right to Life News, 1/8/91, pp. 1 and 24.]
Mary Kay Blakely
In 1984, Blakely, national essayist and "Ms" magazine editor, lapsed into a 9-day diabetic coma. She then published a book -- Wake Me When It's Over -- about the extraordinary experience that "saved and transformed my life." Blakely described her-comatose body as like a broken transmitter: she could receive, but not send any messages. She experienced sound and touch, but could not respond. The coma altered her view of what's important -- and what's not. She now understands the critical need to slow down, and enjoy some of life's pleasures. ["Author recounts nine-day coma that 'transformed my life", Leslie Walters, Minnesota Women's Press, 7/16-29/ 89, p. 9.] (Note: This item may not appear to belong with this list of cases, but it points out that people in coma may have experiences we can know nothing about because they do not respond to outside stimuli. Furthermore, at least one state (Colorado) has a dangerous "living will" law that allows life-sustaining measures, including tube-feeding and intravenous fluids, to be discontinued from patients who have been in a coma for as short a time as seven days.)