Rom Houben, trapped in his paralysed body after a car crash, described his real-life nightmare as he screamed to doctors that he could hear them - but could make no sound.
'I screamed, but there was nothing to hear,' said Mr Houben, now 46, who doctors thought was in a persistent vegetative state.
His case has only just been revealed in a scientific paper released by the man who 'saved' him, neurological expert Dr Steven Laureys.
'Medical advances caught up with him,' said Dr Laureys, who believes there may be many similar cases of false comas around the world.
He was so lucky that no-one thought it was in his best interests to die, and so stop feeding him"for his own good."
The claims that anyone is in a 'persistent vegetative state' always sends chills down my spine. As a teenager, I was knocked down by a car and was not expected to live through the night. The next day, the doctors told my mother that I would probably survive, but would be irreversibly brain-damaged. I heard this assessment of my chances, and was desperately trying to communicate with those around me, but couldn't do anything more than make moaning noises. I was terrified. Luckily, my experience was very short-lived. Rom Houben went through this hell for 23 years... all the while, he was able to hear what was happening around him.
Unfortunately, I doubt that this will give the "right to die" contingent any sleepless nights.
Twitch of the mantilla to Matthew Archbold of CMR.
2 comments:
"I doubt that this will give the "right to die" contingent any sleepless nights."
My prediction - they will go quiet for a short time, and then reformulate their argument to say that it would be better for "locked in" patients to die, because of the quality of their life. At that point they will have crossed the line into the "life unworthy of life" camp and if they persuade the sheeple to follow - well let's just say I won't be worrying about my pension too much.
It sounds like ones worst nightmare. I'm sure I am not alone in dreaming that I am screaming but no one can hear. Or that the devil is close at hand and I am desperate to say a prayer but nothing happens.
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