Posted on 03/07/2007 7:50:20 AM PST by OB1kNOb
Doctors call it a miracle. A Southern Colorado woman was in a vegetative state for more than six years, but now, she's talking for the first time. She spoke exclusively to 11 News.
Christa Lilly had a heart attack then a stroke. That's the last thing she remembers. It was November of 2000, when Lilly slipped into a vegetative state, which is essentially like a coma, but with the eyes open. Lilly was unconscious and unaware of her surroundings. Now, for the first time in six and a half years, she's awake, alert, and talking. "I think it's wonderful. It makes me so happy," Lilly tells us.
The last time Lilly was aware of the world around her, Bill Clinton was in office and the September 11th attacks hadn't even happened. Lilly was also surprised to find out her youngest daughter is now 12. "It's kinda exciting," Chelcy says. She’s Christa’s daughter. And she's also a grandmother of three, that's new too. "Seeing her talking," Latiana says, is the greatest gift of all. She's 6-years-old and the oldest of the grandchildren.
“To come back out of it... God is good," Minnie Smith, Lilly’s mother, says. She has been taking care of her all these years. She says this past Sunday, her prayers were answered. "Every morning, I always check on her when I wake up, before I go to the bathroom. I always say, ‘Hi baby, how are you doing?’ She said, ‘I'm fine’ and that's when I knew she was awake." A two-word answer that changed everything.
Lilly says her biggest frustration is learning how to talk again. "I've been eating cake." Eating is no problem for this woman, who had been kept alive by a feeding tube.
“This is a miracle,” Lilly's neurologist, Dr. Randall Bjork, tells us. He checked to see her how her brain is functioning. He says he's as surprised as everyone else. "This is all mystical and I can't explain it."
Uttering her first sentences in more than 6 years, Christa has a lot of catching up to do.
Lilly's mom says her daughter has awakened 4 other times in the past, but not completely, not like this. There's a chance Lilly could slip back into her vegetative state, but the family is hoping she's back for good.
Unfortunately, she has slipped back into her vegetative state
The sooner the charade ends, the happier I will be. I'd like to see some real justice done.
A sad update..........OB1
Woman Who Woke Up After 6 Years Relapses
Keeping Christa's Hope Alive
Coma Woman Wakes
Posted: 10:22 PM Mar 6, 2007
Last Updated: 11:13 PM Mar 7, 2007
Reporter: Lauri Martin and David Nancarrow
Doctors called it a miracle. A Southern Colorado woman was in a vegetative state for more than six years, talked for the first time, speaking exclusively to 11 News.
Christa Lilly has since relapsed.
Minnie Smith, her mother and chief care-giver, says there is some small consolation when she has to say goodbye to her daughter again.
"The good Lord let me know she's alright, he brings her back to visit every so often and I'm thankful for that," Minnie said.
Lilly had a heart attack then a stroke. That's the last thing she remembers. It was November of 2000, when Lilly slipped into a vegetative state, which is essentially like a coma, but with the eyes open. Lilly was unconscious and unaware of her surroundings. Now, for the first time in six and a half years, she's awake, alert, and talking. "I think it's wonderful. It makes me so happy," Lilly tells us.
The last time Lilly was aware of the world around her, Bill Clinton was in office and the September 11th attacks hadn't even happened. Lilly was also surprised to find out her youngest daughter is now 12. "It's kinda exciting," Chelcy says. She’s Christa’s daughter. And she's also a grandmother of three, that's new too. "Seeing her talking," Latiana says, is the greatest gift of all. She's 6-years-old and the oldest of the grandchildren.
"Every morning," said Smith, "I always check on her when I wake up, before I go to the bathroom. I always say, ‘Hi baby, how are you doing?’ She said, ‘I'm fine’ and that's when I knew she was awake." A two-word answer that changed everything.
Lilly says her biggest frustration is learning how to talk again. "I've been eating cake." Eating is no problem for this woman, who had been kept alive by a feeding tube.
“This is a miracle,” Lilly's neurologist, Dr. Randall Bjork, tells us. He checked to see her how her brain is functioning. He says he's as surprised as everyone else. "This is all mystical and I can't explain it."
In her current condition Dr. Bjork says Christa is minimally conscious, a slightly better state than other notable cases like Terry Schiavo. Christa could wake again, possibly to a medical community that has a better understanding, or more experience with her condition.
"I would predict this would publicize the minimally conscious and perhaps more reporting of the cyclical awakenings," Bjork said.
In the meantime, Minnie will continue caring for Christa: doing what a mother does best.
"I never gave up on my daughter and I never will," she said.
And she hopes and prays this time next year, Christa will be back for good.
I hope it's a temporary setback. While she was awake, did she speak about her level of awareness during "sleep"?
Not that I'm aware of. The article mentions that she had a heart attack then a stroke and that's the last thing she remembered and that she was unconscious and unaware of her surroundings, but I'm not sure on what proof they made that statement.
Dr. Bjork is doubtless unaware that several of the neurologists who actually examined Terri said she was alert and at least "minimally conscious" or maybe some shade better than that. Others called for the testing she never got. Judge Greer refused to look at depositions from over thirty neurologists and other medical professionals asserting that she deserved to get proper testing, or could be helped, or was not PVS.
She reportedly said she didn't remember anything. That kind of caught my eye. Why should she remember? It's like sleep. I don't remember my dreams in the morning, but I wake up refreshed.
> And what is your source for whichever of your statements
> is closer to being true?
Cute implication. A pity you aren't as dedicated to reality as you are to whatever cause d'jour you're riding a white horse against.
Per the autopsy report (http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/schiavo/61305autopsyrpt.pdf), "A total of 645 milliliters of cerebrospinal fluid (weighing 678 grams) were recovered upon opening the skull and exposing the brain."
Whereas "[a]dults average 140 mL of CSF volume" from http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/Grnds/CSF-Leaks-9905/CSF-Leaks-9905.htm.
The calculated ratio is 4.607, so 5 was technically "closer to the truth" as you so pejoratively put it.
I'll say again, in the absence of a living will and the presence of close relatives willing to care for her, Ms Schiavo's case seems to be an injustice. But on that note, I'm out of this thread because it feels a whole lot like a meeting of the flat earth society.
If you are trying to say in a different way that she suffered a brain injury and lost brain tissue, it is not disputed and not interesting at all. It says nothing new. HOW she was injured is the interesting question. Are you going to take my little quiz and explain it to me?
sw
thanks, bfl
In my psychology class at university last semester, we studied a boy who had half his brain removed and he's doing great. I have the video tape of his story that we studied. His only real impairment is that he can't count back change very well.
As Terri Schiavo lies in her grave.
Different circumstances. Terri had massive brain deterioration.
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