Hi there Mo...on the question of whether or not Terri was actually, deliberately following that balloon...I have worked with about several young people who were diagnosed in PVS...every single time, that I provided cared for them, I had to chart as to whether or not they responded to me, did they track or follow me with their eyes, did they try to talk, etc. etc...
Most of the time, they did none of the things I have described...however, I do remember one time, when one of these young people appeared to track or follow me with his eyes, as I walked past the end of his bed... it was the only time he had ever done that, and I charted as much about him....so I am sure, that if someone had been filming him all that particular nite, this one snippet would have shown up, and it would appear to show that he was purposely tracking me...but in reality, it was probably just a random movement of his eyes, which happened to coincidentally correspond to exactly where I was at...but if they watched him for the other 8 hours of that nite shift, they would have seen him, as I had seem him most of the time...eyes wide open, eyes shifting and moving randomly, seemingly unable to focus on anything...I care for him for well over a year, for 8 hrs a nite, 5 days a week, and in all that time, that was the one and only time I ever saw him track me with his eyes...
I am not saying that is what is here in the Terri Shiavo film, just saying, relating what I have seen...
Thank you for your comment and as you stated .. of all your patients, only once did one track you with their eyes