May 4, 2005
LUCKY HE MARRIED WELL:
Fireman's recovery stuns doctors (BBC, 5/04/05)
US doctors are trying to find out why a severely brain-damaged man has suddenly started to speak after nearly 10 years.Posted by Orrin Judd at May 4, 2005 8:15 AMDonald Herbert, 43, a firefighter, was badly injured in a house fire in 1995 and was deprived of oxygen for several minutes before being rescued.
He was in a coma for more than two months, and since then he has been blind, barely able to speak and unable to recognise family and friends.
But at the weekend he spoke lucidly with his wife and family for 14 hours.
He has since maintained his recovery.
Medical experts say it is almost unheard of for patients to recover from such severe brain injuries after so many years.
Medical experts say it is almost unheard of for patients to recover from such severe brain injuries after so many years.
(banging head against wall)
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 4, 2005 9:07 AMOf course, the BBC had to throw in the obligatory line that none of their examples was in a persistent vegatative state, like Terri Schiavo (who just HAD to die, damnit).
It's a good thing George Felos hadn't heard of this guy, or he might be dead by now. And I suppose none of the medical experts in this case were from Florida, or he might also be dead.
Did Oliver Sacks ever express an opinion on the Schiavo mess?
Posted by: jim hamlen at May 4, 2005 9:58 AMMedical experts say it is almost unheard of for patients to recover from such severe brain injuries after so many years.
Changing voter registration from Democrat will do it.
Posted by: at May 4, 2005 12:00 PMThe difference is cortextual. (Where is that autopsy report anyway?)
Posted by: ghostcat at May 4, 2005 4:40 PMTerry would be alive if this had happened a few weeks ago.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at May 4, 2005 5:22 PMRobert: No chance. Terri was doomed due to the combination of a husband who wanted her dead, his psychotic death-loving lawyer, and a judge who just wanted the case to go away. Throw in the national political situation, and those on the left wanted her dead simply so the Republican would "lose" something finally. There were plenty of cases that were brought up of people coming out of PVS after more than a year, but that was "totally different". Here we have someone coming out of "totally different" non-responsive brain damage after a decade. By the end the Schiavo case had NOTHING to do with the medical knowledge (or lack thereof) concerning brain injuries.
Posted by: b at May 4, 2005 7:30 PMRobert Schwartz:
Naw, the issue was the Death Lobby's desire for a sacrificial victim, not the reasonableness of Mr. Schiavo's request.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 4, 2005 10:43 PM