Florida woman dies after 42 years in coma

[French Castanut]

A Miami woman who spent over four decades in a coma died Wednesday morning in her Miami, Florida home. She was 59.

In 1970, 16-year-old Edwarda O'Bara slipped into a diabetic coma, according to the Miami Herald. Before losing consciousness, she had asked her mother, Kaye O’Bara, to never leave her side.

Her mother had kept her promise. She turned Edwarda every two hours, gave her insulin, fed her through a tube, and kept her company.

Kaye died at 80-years-old, five years ago, as she slept in the same room with her daughter.

Once her mother passed, Edwarda’s sister Colleen took over caring for her sister.

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/11/24/fl ... rs-in-coma

[Snarf]

Say what you will but that is love and devotion at its best

[Alvis]

Say what you will but that is love and devotion at its best

I would call it unnecessary torture.
They kept that girl alive for 42 years out of personal selfishness. What if it were you in that bed?

[grammafreddy]

Judging from what's on that windowsill, I'd guess religion played a huge part in destroying that mom's life and the sister's life, as well. Hopefully the sister can now move on and have a life of her own - finally.

[Alvis]

Judging from what's on that windowsill, I'd guess religion played a huge part in destroying that mom's life and the sister's life, as well. Hopefully the sister can now move on and have a life of her own - finally.

Yep, I think you are 100% correct.
Religion trumps common sense and what is actually humane as usual.

[Sige]

This is why I have a Rep Agreement...just awful.

[zzontar]

Judging from what's on that windowsill, I'd guess religion played a huge part in destroying that mom's life and the sister's life, as well. Hopefully the sister can now move on and have a life of her own - finally.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who have come out of comas who's lives were enhanced knowing they weren't abandoned, as well as no one having to have the guilt of being the abandoner. It reminds me of the story about the woman who kept visiting her husband who had Alzheimer's, and when asked why she keeps visiting him when he doesn't even know who she is anymore, her reply was that she still knew who he is. I even think there are atheists who are capable of this, but obviously not ones like GF, who are at the point where the hate of religion overpowers the love of love.

[GordonH]

A very sad story of those who are just unable or unwilling to let go.

[Fritzthecat]

I'm sure there are a lot of people who have come out of comas who's lives were enhanced knowing they weren't abandoned, as well as no one having to have the guilt of being the abandoner. It reminds me of the story about the woman who kept visiting her husband who had Alzheimer's, and when asked why she keeps visiting him when he doesn't even know who she is anymore, her reply was that she still knew who he is. I even think there are atheists who are capable of this, but obviously not ones like GF, who are at the point where the hate of religion overpowers the love of love.

Depends on the condition. What most people do not get is that brain dead is dead, no hope of coming back. When a cell dies (brain is made up of millions of cells) it is dead not coming back. This ain't TV people. I have too many times had people tell me if they die just shock their heart so they come back to life. Dr's and medicine have yet to cure dead cells back into life.
No brain dead person has ever come back. Dead is dead. A body could be kept alive via machines almost indefinitely. Tissue can be kept alive in petri dishes but no matter what, when the cells die, NOBODY can make them come back to life.I read a book years ago written by an ICU nurse in Toronto who talked about a situation like this where the body actually had maggots living it (had apparently come from fruit brought in by visitors) and the patients family asked if they could have a brain transplant. True story.

[zzontar]

What most people do not get is that brain dead is dead, no hope of coming back. When a cell dies (brain is made up of millions of cells) it is dead not coming back. This ain't TV people. I have too many times had people tell me if they die just shock their heart so they come back to life.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... ctors.html

'Miracle recovery' of teen declared brain dead by four doctors
A teenager who was declared brain dead by four doctors has made a "miracle" recovery after his parents asked for another medical opinion, just moments before his life support machine could have been switched off.


Steven Thorpe, then 17, suffered horrific injuries in a multiple car crash, leaving him in a medically-induced coma and another man dead.
Doctors told his family he would never recover and asked them to consider donating his organs before his life-support machine was turned off.
Instead, Steven’s father enlisted the help of private GP Julia Piper to check his son again as doctors at University Hospital in Coventry, West Midlands, agreed to let a neurologist re-examine him.
Remarkably, he detected faint brain waves indicating Steven had a slim chance of recovery and medics decided to attempt to bring him out of his coma.
Just five weeks later, he was discharged from hospital having made a near-full recovery.

I guess you just never know.

[Catz]

Really???

How horrible....I agree it is selfishness.
Just saw this storey and really...this is so wrong on so many levels.

[Alvis]

Really???

How horrible....I agree it is selfishness.
Just saw this storey and really...this is so wrong on so many levels.

Yep. There might be one in a million cases where somebody is possibly misdiagnosed and comes back. Our medical ability has reached a point where we are now at the "just because we can, should we?" stage.


Regarding the case of the 17 in the UK, switch off the machines and if they survive........

There is always the miracle case or a one in a million shot. There are also people who win the lottery.


Just saying.