City man makes progress after brain damage

The Oklahoman ^ | March 26, 2005 | Ken Raymond and Jim Killackey

[Sola Veritas]

Thought it was relevant to the ongoing discussion on Terri Schiavo.

[k2blader]

The doctors said he was in a semi-comatose state. They said we would probably kill him." ... Instead, he has made gradual progress, and his improvement and memory of events around him has convinced the Hollis family to speak out — like thousands of others — in support of Schiavo's parents and their desperate bid to save their daughter.

With "doctors" like these, who needs enemies?

[Schwarzeneger]

bump

[MisterRepublican]

Thanks for posting this hopeful and remarkable story.

A word to Rick and Tamie Hollis: never, ever move to Florida.

[RightWhale]

Good post.

[conservative cat]

I have a disabled (autistic) son and I always worry about what will happen to him after I am gone. Thank God he can feed himself.

[mtbopfuyn]

"I don't care what anyone says, she's aware," Rick Hollis said of the Florida woman. "She's not a vegetable. She's not in a vegetative state. And we are starving her to death."

Just needed repeating.

[TheDon]

It is effective only when two doctors certify in writing that an individual is either terminally ill and death is expected within six months, or a patient is persistently unconscious.

Euthanasia is a common practice in the US, and has been for some time.

[MizSterious]

This gem of an article got lost in the weekend flood of stories, but perhaps Ohioan can ping everyone on the list to it. Last night our local Channel 9 featured this man, even showed how he had learned to print his name--hardly "brain dead" as many would like to have called him. If you go to the link, you can see the video of the segment for yourselves.

Their last quote, "If their son could come back, they say, then so could she. " will haunt me forever. I can only wish it could haunt the judges and the Schiavo family as well.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Terri ping! If anyone would like to be added to or removed from my Terri ping list, please let me know by FReepmail!

[Ciexyz]

When I was admitted recently to the hospital for treatment, the nurse gave me a "pep talk" on living wills. She strongly encouraged me to apply for one. She was an advocate for living wills. This was part of the admission process, a standard question.

It seemed to me that they wanted to make sure they had the right to pull out the tubes if they didn't want to care for you anymore. I wanted to say "Terry Schiavo" to her, but kept quiet.

[MizSterious]

At least for the one I have, you can specify that you want to be kept alive.

[Ciexyz]

May the Lord reward this family for their loving faithfulness in helping their son recover.

The Lord alone knows Michael Schiavo's heart and motivations and He will judge accordingly.

[Ciexyz]

The fallout from the Terri Schiavo murder continues. Stories of successful rehab of comatose patients will continue to circulate; families who are fighting to rehabilitate their loved ones will be encouraged. And advocates for the disabled will press for new laws to protect the vulnerable.

The Lord will be glorified in this matter, although we don't see the entire picture at this point in time.

[Ciexyz]

you can specify that you want to be kept alive

that's the one I would want. But what can you do if your legal guardian tells the doctor to manipulate the facts so they can pull the plug? If your money has run out and your insurance company won't pay? If your relatives want what little money you have left?

[nicmarlo]

News, 18 July 2000

Nearly half of patients considered to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) may in fact be aware of what is going on around them and capable of communicating. A study carried out on 40 presumed PVS patients by the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in London has found that 17 of them were misdiagnosed. Two thirds of those wrongly diagnosed were thought to be in a PVS because their eyes did not follow movement or failed to blink when threatened, but in fact this was simply because they were blind. All those studied had very limited movement, and so communication was difficult. Dr Keith Andrews, director of medical and research services at the hospital, warned that PVS patients "may spend a lifetime trapped in a damaged body, with poor quality of life"......

----------------------

Prediction of recovery from post-traumatic vegetative state with cerebral magnetic-resonance imaging

Lancet - Volume 351, Number 9118 13 June 1998

The diagnosis of a PVS can have a major influence on decision making concerning the level of care or services provided and may prompt an application to be made to the courts for a directive on withdrawal of tube feeding. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis of VS is not uncommon.(5) A report by Andrews and colleagues in 1996 (6) provided evidence that up to 43% of patients were wrongly diagnosed as being in a VS. In addition, recovery from VS is not unlikely; half of the patients in post-traumatic VS may recover within 1 year of the injury. (7) Therefore, the first step in VS management requires correct clinical diagnosis. Moreover, ancillary diagnostic tests, in conjunction with a clinical assessment may provide important information for confirming a diagnosis of VS, and may also be helpful in predicting the potential recovery.

(5) Childs NL, Mercer WN, Childs H. Accuracy of diagnosis of persistent vegetative state. Neurology 1993; 43: 1465-67.

(6) Andrews K, Murphy L, Munday R, Littlewood C. Misdiagnosis of the vegetative state: retrospective study in a rehabilitation unit. BMJ 1996; 313: 13-16.

(7) The Multi-Society Task Force on PVS. Medical aspects of the persistent vegetative state (second of two parts). N Engl J Med 1994; 330: 1572-79.

[MizSterious]

That's why we need to change some laws. Maybe on the federal level, so that it's nationwide. If a person wants to be kept on life support, under no circumstances should a person be "put down" because of hearsay, or because a hospital deems them unworthy of life. No one, save the Almighty, has the right to decide who is worthy of living and who is not. One wonders if some of these network pontificators might take a different view of what happened to Terri, if they were the ones being written off.

[MizSterious]

" Nearly half of patients considered to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) may in fact be aware of what is going on around them and capable of communicating."

I know it's been posted before, but it's really worth repeating.

I really hope people click on the link and view the video. It will break your heart, when you realize that Terri in all probability could have done the same. Bear in mind, this fellow has had a lot of help from his family, but it's been a relatively short time--imagine what he might be doing in, let's say, 15 years. And I can't help but imagine what Terri might be saying, doing, thinking, had she been given the same opportunity as this fellow.

[nicmarlo]

And I can't help but imagine what Terri might be saying, doing, thinking, had she been given the same opportunity as this fellow.

She could only have gotten better, been able to talk better, and tell us what happened the night of her collapse and how she got so many broken bones, including the one in the middle of her thigh.....great blunt force had to be used for that to happen.

I don't have time at this moment to see the video about which you refer, but I definitely will later. Thanks.

[T'wit]

Along with the inexactitude of the diagnosis and the high level of misdiagnosis, we should recall (as Pat Anderson did yesterday on the Hannity show) that "PVS" is quite rare.

Not as rare as collapsing with a broken back, broken femur, broken ribs, broken ankles, broken knees and a head injury all caused by drinking too much iced tea, but rare.