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You don't run across stories like Donny Herbert's -- at once miraculously satisfying and achingly tragic -- nearly as often, if ever. Such complexity, when combined with stunning scarcity, produces Really Big News. And now the story of a man lost to the world for nearly a decade before returning, if briefly, has inspired a book -- "The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up," by Rich Blake. ~Snip~
By Monday, May 2 -- two days after Herbert told a nurse's aide that he wanted to talk to his wife -- media from around the world was starting to converge on Father Baker Manor. Aside from the exceptional circumstances involved, interest was further fueled by the death of Terri Schiavo just a month earlier. I spent that afternoon outside the nursing home in a rural area of Orchard Park, trying to make sense of a story that didn't.
Herbert's immediate family understandably had much more important concerns than dealing with the media. His uncle, an attorney and former cop named Simon Manka, was a gruff but fair family spokesman, giving out enough details to confirm the reports of Herbert's awakening while keeping reporters and cameras at a safe distance from the firefighter's wife and sons. There would be none of the exploitation, political or otherwise, that surrounded Terri Schiavo's case if Manka could help it. As it would turn out, when it came to the story of how Herbert emerged from more than nine years of silence, there wasn't all that much to tell...........
STORY OF FIREFIGHTER'S AWAKENING PROVES HEARTBREAKING, UPLIFTING
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Having this future healthcare conversation is the first step. Once families are clear on the care and decisions a family member has made, the next step is to get those wishes in writing. "When families are aware of a loved ones wishes, it helps, but it is not enough to keep difficult healthcare decisions out of the legal system and out of the media spotlight, as we saw with Terri Schiavo," warns Kenemore. My Life, My Care, My Way allows an individual to get their wishes in writing.............
American Families Avoid This "Talk," Especially During the Holidays, says Aging and Caregiver Expert
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