[Quix]

I agree.

Why is it so hard to determine medically what her brain function is??? Is the husband an arch manipulator of the whole medical establishment?

What a disparity of stories about one woman's rather consistent state, it seems.

[Toskrin]

I'm a neurologist who has followed this case from time to time; it's been about a year since I looked into it though.

The neurologic question seems to be if she if a persistent vegetative state (PVS) or what is called a minimally conscious state (MCS). From the videos I've seen, she probably is MCS, but just barely. In her case it's hard to be sure without actually being there during the exam. However, I understand that the videos are a few years old and that her condition may have deteriorated since.

I believe she has been examined by court-appointed neurologists who claim that she is PVS. That may be the case if she is now worse than the videos suggest, or if the videos are misleading. Unfortunately, her parents have chosen to associate with a group of doctors who are, to be polite, out of the mainstream in their practices and I don't trust their evaluations.

The bigger issue to me is whether Michael is competent to act in her best interests. Much of what he has done in the intervening time suggests that he is not.

I think if anyone has dropped the ball here, it is the Florida legislature and governor. They have had plenty of time to pass laws addressing the issue of next-of-kin and what to do when a spouse or child may not be acting in the best interests of the patient.