Woman in 'Vegetative' State Like Schiavo Wakes for Three Days, Speaks, Eats Cake - Relapses

LifeSiteNews ^ | 3/7/07 | Hilary White

[wagglebee]

COLORADO SPRINGS, March 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A woman who spent nearly seven years in a coma, woke up for a short time Sunday and started talking. Christa Lilly, a native of Colorado Springs, relapsed into her previous unconscious state today.
 
Lilly suffered a heart attack and then a stroke in November 2000 and was diagnosed as being in a "vegetative" state but with her eyes open. Like Florida's Terri Schindler Schiavo, she is being kept alive by a feeding and hydration tube while unconscious.

  
During her short period of wakefulness, Lilly spoke with CBS affiliate KKTV news reporters, saying, "I think it's wonderful. It makes me so happy." She said that she was having difficulty re-learning how to speak, but was eating cake. Lilly had experienced periods of wakefulness before, but had never spoken.
 
The neurologist overseeing her case, Dr. Randall Bjork, told reporters that he had no answer why Lilly woke up. "This is all mystical and I can't explain it."
 
The so-called persistent vegetative state diagnosis is commonly used to justify the removal of artificial nutrition and hydration tubes and has added fuel to the euthanasia and assisted suicide movement.
 
The diagnosis, however, is increasingly being questioned as more patients such as Lilly wake up unexpectedly.
 
Last year, a report was issued by a group of researchers from Cambridge University in England showing that patients who are apparently unconscious often have more brain functioning than previously suspected. 
 
The research showed that responses to verbal stimuli in a comatose patient were similar to those of conscious volunteers. Dr. Adrian Owen at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge, told The New York Times he was "absolutely stunned" by the discovery.
 
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
"Vegetative" Patient Shows Conscious Awareness
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/sep/06090804.html

[wagglebee]

Last year, a report was issued by a group of researchers from Cambridge University in England showing that patients who are apparently unconscious often have more brain functioning than previously suspected.

And the culture of death totally ignores this.

[wagglebee]

Pro-Life Ping

[wagglebee]

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[mcg2000]

What was that movie with Robin Williams?

[wagglebee]

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[patton]

O, man, that is sad. Did they give her Ambien?

[george76]

Who's life is it ?

[mom4kittys]

That's a shame she is back in the coma. I hope they can determine what made her wake up.

[dforest]

Lets pray its a new beginning for her. Now, if she is just given the time without interference.

[LibWhacker]

Awakenings.

Sad. I wonder if it's going to be a lifelong pattern with her, as it was with the Robert DeNiro character in the movie?

[Mr. Silverback]

No, no, this sort of thing is impossible. I know this because Michael Schiavo says so. Move along folks, nothing to see here.

[Enterprise]

That was my first thought. If they didn't, or haven't, it should be considered.

[TAdams8591]

Yes, they do ignore it. Such patients are far from "brain dead."

I am so sorry to learn Lilly relapsed!

[wagglebee]

Even if she does not recover again, the doctors can hopefully learn more from this and it will help with other cases in the future.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Who's life is it ?"

Hers to live; all of ours to protect.

[TAdams8591]

I had the same thought and I hope so. We must pray for her.

[TAdams8591]

That's right. Nicely said!

[Popocatapetl]

Importantly, it has been discovered that some people who are in a coma may be having that coma worsened, or even be getting brain damage, because of a simple reason: cold oxygen.

The oxygen they breathe through tubes is cold, coming from a pressurized container, and it cools the blood going to the brain, which in some people may extend or worsen coma. The brain must maintain a very narrow temperature range, or else it is susceptible to all sorts of harmful effects.

The problem is so serious, especially in older people, that some find it uncomfortable to drink cold beverages, in some cases getting near-convulsive shivering after drinking as little as a cup of ice water.

So if you know someone who dislikes cold drinks, and they are anticipating general anesthesia surgery, it might be good to make some inquiries ahead of time, as this phenomenon is newly discovered and not widely known.

[DJ MacWoW]

Interesting info, thanks.

[LeftiesHateFacts]

I question anything that comes out of britain