Car-crash victim back from 23-year 'vegetative state'

[Franco]

For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says, he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

The car-crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but appears to have been conscious the whole time.

Over the years, Houben's family refused to accept the word of his doctors, firmly believing their son knew what was happening around him, and gave no thought to letting him die, said his mother, Fina. She was vindicated when the breakthrough came.

You might want to rethink that Living Will.

[Benji]

I read this story in the Guardian earlier and found it very affecting. They mentioned the parallels with Jean-Dominique Bauby, which reminded me that a friend lent me The Butterfly and the Diving Bell to watch.

[Scarpia]

Before you modify your living will, read the fine print.  The communication is facilitated by an "aid" who can "sense" what he wants to say and "guides his hand" on the keyboard.  He is not able to communicate without such aid.  This unfortunate man may not be in a vegetative state, but it is not at all clear what level of consciousness he really has.

[Harpo]

Before you modify your living will, read the fine print.  The communication is facilitated by an "aid" who can "sense" what he wants to say and "guides his hand" on the keyboard.  He is not able to communicate without such aid.  This unfortunate man may not be in a vegetative state, but it is not at all clear what level of consciousness he really has.

I agree. I saw the man and his aide on TV today. At one point he broke into a big smile. It wasn't clear, however,  how much the aide was doing the spelling. A similar process is used with autistic kids, also somewhat suspect.

The Diving Bell movie, a true story, did show someone with the "locked-in syndrome." Bauby, a writer, communicated by blinking when his speech therapist said the letter he wanted. That was somehow more believeable, and it actually resulted in a published book.

[Wendell_E]

You might want to rethink that Living Will.

I dunno: "For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says, he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out."  I'll take death, thank you very much.