FL definition of persistent vegetative state, PVS:
- The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of any kind.
- An inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment.
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From video Terri Big Eyes; see it at www.terrisfight.org-- http://www.terrisfight.org/
Terri starts out apparently asleep. A doctor wakes her to start his tests.
Doctor: Terri. Open your eyes up...
Terri: (Startled at hearing her name. She starts moving her mouth and fluttering her eyes, like a person who is just waking up)
Doctor: Open your eyes, Terri open your eyes
Terri: (slowly at first, Terri struggles to open her eyes, then turns toward the doctor, and opens her eyes a normal amount)
Doctor: There you go, good.
Terri: (then, either to show off(?) or wanting to perform well, she leans further forward toward the doctor, looks straight at him and opens her eyes as WIDE AS SHE CAN. >> Note the WRINKLES ACROSS HER FOREHEAD caused by her also RAISING HER EYEBROWS as high as possible )
Doctor: [now obviously impressed] GOOD!! GOOD JOB! GOOD JOB YOUNG LADY! Good Job.
Documented Terri-vocabulary references | |
Words | Witness |
"mommy" "momma" "help me" |
nurse - Heidi Law, certified nurse assistant |
"pay" (meaning 'pain' when she was in discomfort) 'Haaaiiiii' (meaning Hi, in response to 'Hi Terri') 'mommy' 'help me' |
Nurse - Carla Sauer Iyer, R.N. "'Help me' was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times." |
"stop" (in response to one medical procedure being done on her) |
Terri's MediPlex records |
"ugh-hugh" (meaning yes) "ugh-ugh" (meaning no) "yea" "No" |
family members. 'yea' was a word she reportedly first re-learned to speak in 2002. |
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The Father Pavone video is available at http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/resolve.asp?rafile=rock021805.rm .