She wasn’t “allowed to rest in peace.” She was starved to death. People in her exact condition have been known to return to consciousness, and this dear lady expressed humor, sadness, and interest—to name a few indicators of consciousness—before being starved to death. But then, she was SUCH an inconvenience to her “husband,” who wanted to get on with his life-—without her.
You are sadly mistaken. This woman's brain was damaged to the point she could not recognize her family, talk, swallow, or even follow the simplest command. The autopsy showed her brain was severely damaged consistent with the PVS diagnosis. People in her exact condition do not recover. Nerve tissue, including the brain, does not heal.