I have a friend who was in near total paralysis after having a major stroke. It took him several weeks to be able to open (and close) his eyes. He could also move one hand (including make a variety of hand gestures). He had some difficulty moving his arm and eventually with muscle atrophy, he lost use of his hand.
I have inquired of friends how he is today (years later) but no one will respond and it seems they are afraid to learn how he lives in care.
He may go “crazy” from his situation after a prolonged period but he was not brain dead.
“I can’t imagine anything more frightening than being conscious trapped inside a body in a vegetative state.”
My husband died of brain cancer. It was a progressive degeneration of his body. Toward the end, his body was paralyzed but he was still able to communicate by blinking his eyes. Then, that capability went away, but I knew he could still hear. Hearing is the last capability to cease functioning.
His mother and brothers stopped visiting when he couldn’t talk and he lasted weeks after that. His sister and I were the only ones who would go see him after he couldn’t talk. It was terrible to see him slowly die but I was there every day and I knew he was aware I was there. My pain watching that was nothing compared to his and that’s what I concentrated on - I would never have left him alone.