Posted on 10/05/2005 2:13:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
ROME, Oct 5 (Reuters) - An Italian man who spent two years supposedly unconscious in a deep coma, written off by doctors as nearly-dead, awoke saying he heard and understood everything happening around him during the long ordeal, his family said.
Salvatore Crisafulli, a father of four, is describing his case as a "miracle" which proves that lost causes are anything but hopeless and his recovery appeared to strengthen the hand of Italians opposed to end-of-life solutions.
His brother even called Crisafulli "an Italian Terri Schiavo case" with reference to the brain-damaged Florida woman who died in March after her feeding tube was removed.
"The doctors said that I wasn't conscious, but I understood everything and I cried in desperation," Crisafulli was quoted as saying in Italian media on Wednesday.
The comments were relayed through his brother in Sicily as Crisafulli, 38, slowly started recovering. He came out of a coma three months ago but only began speaking recently. His first word was "Mamma", his mother told the press.
News of his recovery hit Italy at about the same time as a national bioethics committee defended obligatory care for unconscious patients -- even those who opposed extraordinary medical measures to keep them alive.
The government committee, which acts as a reference point for lawmakers, voted in favour of the stance late last month, but the position paper is still being finalised.
"To feed an unconscious patient through a tube is not a medical act," said the committee's president, Francesco D'Agostino, in reported comments confirmed by his office.
"It's like giving a bottle to a newborn baby who can't be nursed by its mother ... And then we reflect on the Schiavo case. The woman was left to die of starvation."
The Schiavo case was closely followed in Italy, where the Roman Catholic Church demanded doctors keep feeding her, despite the wishes of her husband.
Pope John Paul II died two days after Schiavo, and the Vatican had compared the U.S. state court to an "executioner" for ordering her feeding tube removed.
Salvatore will probably never be the same as he was before the accident, and his mother spoke about his poor speech. But his family says he seems to be alert and aware.
"My brother speaks and remembers. I don't expect that he will be like he was, but it's already a miracle," Pietro said was quoted as saying in Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"And to think that some doctors said that it was all useless and that he would be dead in three, four months."
And everyone that wanted Terri to die will not read this article.
Bump.
What a hopeful story. Thanks for posting it.
My grandmother had a brain tumor. After surgery they said she wouldn't wake up for a week due to brain swelling. However, they warned us that she could still hear and understand. Apparently this is the norm for people in comas. I'm surprised the Italian doctors didn't know this.
ping
This certainly proves that Doctor,s don,t know everything and they should never be allowed to play God.
Bet he cried to be released from his prison. What a true nightmare.
A big "Culture of Life" ping over to you....
Thanks for posting this...
"end-of-life solutions" I thought Reuters would be more careful about using the word solutions. Didn't that German Chancelor from the 30's and 40's have ideas about 'solutions' too.
Here we go. The folks feeling guilty over doing-in a loved one are now going to jump in this thread and try to debate away their guilt-panged sleepless nights.
I didn't respond to that post. I believe that Terri was more aware of what was happening to her than a comatose patient.
later M.A. pingout.
You're both over the deep end.
Cant speak kill em?
No, I don't speak "kill em".
Now that's the truth!!!!!
Impressive response. More?
He was in a deep coma, they say. Facts are lacking--did anyone do an EEG?
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