Posted on 05/05/2005 6:20:55 PM PDT by wagglebee
RUSH: I have to read you an e-mail that I got last night in the main e-mail account, Rush@eibnet.com.
Hello, Rush, my name is Patrick Britzalaro. I am currently a battalion chief with the Buffalo fire department and up until April of 2003 I was the safety battalion chief for the Buffalo fire department. I'm very familiar with the fire that Don Herbert was severely injured in. I can tell you that firefighter Herbert was literally buried alive with hundreds of pounds of roofing debris when the flaming roof gave away. In addition to this, firefighter Herbert's only air supply, his self-contained breathing apparatus face piece was completely pinched off. That left him in full cardiac arrest when he was found and dug out from his would-be grave. In the Buffalo fire department's subsequent investigation we concluded that firefighter Herbert went ten minutes without oxygen. Now, as you know, going that long without oxygenated blood to the brain would under most circumstances leave one not only clinically dead but biologically dead. The fact that firefighter Herbert came through this is a miracle in itself. In the immediate days and weeks following this terrible incident firefighter Herbert's family was told that he virtually had no chance of recovery. The best they could hope for was that he would be in a permanent vegetative state due to the severe irreversible brain damage that he suffered. Mrs. Linda Herbert was given the option of pulling her husband's feeding tube, and after much soul-searching, decided against it. The next nine and a half years proved to be extremely difficult and exhausting for the entire Herbert family. Although most people had completely written this hero off, the Herbert family and close friends continued to pray and believe for a miracle and as we all know now this is exactly what happened this past Saturday afternoon. Just to bring you up to date, there was a press conference held Wednesday afternoon. Firefighter Herbert's doctors confirmed that over the past several years Don's condition had deteriorated to the point that he was in a persistent vegetative state.
Now, I'm reading to you from an e-mail I received from the battalion chief for the Buffalo fire department, Patrick Britzalaro, and he was confirming yesterday that in a press conference doctors said that the firefighter's condition had deteriorated to the point that he was in a persistent vegetative state. And Mr. Britzalaro says, "Hmm, where have we heard about this condition recently?"
"Thank you for your time and your great work, Rush, and all the best." I wrote him back and I agreed with him. I told him it is indeed a miracle, a great story and it warms your heart his family stuck by him and everybody pitched in, had the resources to do so. And I thanked him for thinking of me to pass this on. He sent it to me twice to make sure I would see it and get it. So thank you, Mr. Britzalaro for sending this along. I appreciate it very much and congratulations to everybody. I've seen videotape. Have you seen videotape of the firefighter walking around? He's walking around in a walker now wherever he's at, the hospital or the nursing home wherever he is, and he does have, as you can imagine in a coma after a lot of years, in the persistent vegetative state for most of that time, he has a little vacant look on his face, but he's talking. He just talked up a storm on Saturday out of the blue if you're not familiar with the story. But I mean it is, you know, you have to mention it, interesting to note, doctors said, yep, persistent vegetative state. His family was allowed to hang in with him. His family was allowed to hang in with him and it did prove to being miraculous.
well with half is brain tied behind is back what ya think he's perfect
I agree and I think she performed a heroic service to us all so that we could see what is going on in our country and change it. I prefer to salute her as a heroine.
Ahmed tried three medicines usually used to treat Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depression. He said the combination was meant to stimulate neurotransmitters, which brain cells use to communicate with one another.
Ahmed was hopeful for Herbert's future. ''He may fluctuate with the time, but the way he improved and woke up, we are hoping he will progress,'' he said. ''He was almost like in the persistent vegetative coma state, and suddenly this thing happened.''
I see at as we were given a choice, choose life or death for Terri. A choice was made that IMHO was the wrong one.
This diagnosis of PVS is being proven to mean absolutely nothing. Truth is, we in the medical-health professions do not really know what makes a person turn around in head injured situations. What seems to make the biggest difference in head injuries from my stand point is the family involvement and physical therapy.
There is such a thing as true brain death,and in that case, the autonomic (automatic) part of the brain eventually quit, thus both breathing and the heart stop.
"If he was diagnosed as PVS he could have been killed in the state of Florida."
I think the difference is that no one wanted him dead.
They've lost interest in the subject. Old news, and time to move on, you know.
I can't perceive why He does them, but I can guess. It's a warning...God will not be mocked.
Reagan80
Well if he had Terri's Doctor he would DEFINATELY be in PVS. Especially if Dr Cranford looked at him.
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