Perhaps I’d feel differently if I were Ian, but I think I would absolutely despise being kept in a vegetative state for nearly 40 years. I feel like the possibility that he has been conscious...
If you had asked her then, in 1986, she would have said she expected her 17-year-old son to fully recover.
Perhaps I’d feel differently if I were Ian, but I think I would absolutely despise being kept in a vegetative state for nearly 40 years.
I feel like the possibility that he has been conscious actually terrifies me. 40 years feels like an eternity to not be able to speak or interact with the world in any way.
I do think it's a very scary prospect. I think the scientific breakthroughs here are fascinating, and the potential to give these people the ability to communicate is so, so important. But for...
I do think it's a very scary prospect. I think the scientific breakthroughs here are fascinating, and the potential to give these people the ability to communicate is so, so important. But for those who can't... ultimately, when it comes to the "life or death" part of it, I agree with this quote from Dr. Owens:
Perhaps the only thing worse than wanting to die and being forced to live, he said, is to watch everyone let you die when you have decided, in the moment of truth, that you actually want to live.
I'm glad Ian got to see the Grateful Dead. The fact that he probably could see and hear it even though no one knew for sure back then makes me really happy.
I was actually really surprised by the stats in the article that the majority of patients with locked-in syndrome have never contemplated suicide. Like... damn, I'm impressed by how resilient their spirits must be despite the circumstances. I do think the ability to communicate probably is a huge factor, but still.
That quote from Dr Owen really got me. It's not possible for us to pre-imagine whether we'd choose to cling to life in terribly difficult circumstances, any more than we can accurately predict if...
That quote from Dr Owen really got me. It's not possible for us to pre-imagine whether we'd choose to cling to life in terribly difficult circumstances, any more than we can accurately predict if we'd be happy 10 years from now even with basic necessities met and ability to communicate intact.
We used to imagine that children with disabilities would rather not be here, and we were wrong. We used to imagine human beings of a different race would rather not be, and we were definitely wrong.
There's so much hope in this article even if not everyone recovered: that many hurt people can still be made more comfortable, that they can still enjoy news of family, and that they can still experience love. And that by being part of a community which includes those with disabilities, the healthier people can also experience more community and healing of their own.
Yeah, I think we should strive to be incredibly slow to decide for anyone else that their life is not worth living. Obviously this is very difficult to do in cases like this, of people who cannot...
Yeah, I think we should strive to be incredibly slow to decide for anyone else that their life is not worth living. Obviously this is very difficult to do in cases like this, of people who cannot communicate their own feelings and decisions, but ultimately I think the risks of deciding for other people too quickly far outweigh the risks of the alternative.
The really tragic thing about such cases is the fact that you can't know for sure what the person would want. I can't imagine how much the doubt would gnaw at you no matter what you decided.
The really tragic thing about such cases is the fact that you can't know for sure what the person would want. I can't imagine how much the doubt would gnaw at you no matter what you decided.
Obviously in this case - with a minor - the following couldn't really apply, but one would recommend living wills for everyone; Other advanced directives in the case of dimentias and such are best...
Obviously in this case - with a minor - the following couldn't really apply, but one would recommend living wills for everyone; Other advanced directives in the case of dimentias and such are best considered as well.
What a tragic and fascinating story. I was worried for Geoff in all of this, and am glad that they remained close. I always wonder a lot about siblings of people like Ian.
What a tragic and fascinating story.
Something did change, though—specifically for Geoff. Knowing that scientists now believed Ian retained some awareness transformed how he related to his younger brother. He started spending more time with Ian, and the two regained a brotherly intimacy.
I was worried for Geoff in all of this, and am glad that they remained close. I always wonder a lot about siblings of people like Ian.
Wow, what an article. I have so many thoughts, would take me too long to go through them all. But what an amazing mother. And that Rainbow Lodge sounds like a great place with a lot of love for...
Wow, what an article. I have so many thoughts, would take me too long to go through them all. But what an amazing mother. And that Rainbow Lodge sounds like a great place with a lot of love for everyone involved. The story is fascinating and tragic, but happy and wholesome at the same time. I hope we discover more about these types of injuries in the near future so we can better care for people in similar situations. Thanks for sharing, OP, seriously.
From the article: For decades, Eve Baer remained convinces that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.
From the article: For decades, Eve Baer remained convinces that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.
Perhaps I’d feel differently if I were Ian, but I think I would absolutely despise being kept in a vegetative state for nearly 40 years.
I feel like the possibility that he has been conscious actually terrifies me. 40 years feels like an eternity to not be able to speak or interact with the world in any way.
I do think it's a very scary prospect. I think the scientific breakthroughs here are fascinating, and the potential to give these people the ability to communicate is so, so important. But for those who can't... ultimately, when it comes to the "life or death" part of it, I agree with this quote from Dr. Owens:
I'm glad Ian got to see the Grateful Dead. The fact that he probably could see and hear it even though no one knew for sure back then makes me really happy.
I was actually really surprised by the stats in the article that the majority of patients with locked-in syndrome have never contemplated suicide. Like... damn, I'm impressed by how resilient their spirits must be despite the circumstances. I do think the ability to communicate probably is a huge factor, but still.
That quote from Dr Owen really got me. It's not possible for us to pre-imagine whether we'd choose to cling to life in terribly difficult circumstances, any more than we can accurately predict if we'd be happy 10 years from now even with basic necessities met and ability to communicate intact.
We used to imagine that children with disabilities would rather not be here, and we were wrong. We used to imagine human beings of a different race would rather not be, and we were definitely wrong.
There's so much hope in this article even if not everyone recovered: that many hurt people can still be made more comfortable, that they can still enjoy news of family, and that they can still experience love. And that by being part of a community which includes those with disabilities, the healthier people can also experience more community and healing of their own.
Yeah, I think we should strive to be incredibly slow to decide for anyone else that their life is not worth living. Obviously this is very difficult to do in cases like this, of people who cannot communicate their own feelings and decisions, but ultimately I think the risks of deciding for other people too quickly far outweigh the risks of the alternative.
The really tragic thing about such cases is the fact that you can't know for sure what the person would want. I can't imagine how much the doubt would gnaw at you no matter what you decided.
Obviously in this case - with a minor - the following couldn't really apply, but one would recommend living wills for everyone; Other advanced directives in the case of dimentias and such are best considered as well.
What a tragic and fascinating story.
I was worried for Geoff in all of this, and am glad that they remained close. I always wonder a lot about siblings of people like Ian.
Wow, what an article. I have so many thoughts, would take me too long to go through them all. But what an amazing mother. And that Rainbow Lodge sounds like a great place with a lot of love for everyone involved. The story is fascinating and tragic, but happy and wholesome at the same time. I hope we discover more about these types of injuries in the near future so we can better care for people in similar situations. Thanks for sharing, OP, seriously.
From the article: For decades, Eve Baer remained convinces that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.