BRUSSELS — 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. An expert using a specialized type of brain scan that was not available in the 1980s finally realized it, and unlocked Houben’s mind again. The 46-year-old Houben is now communicating with one finger and a special touchscreen on his wheelchair.
“Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learned to live with it,” he said, punching the message into the screen during an interview with the Belgian RTBF network, aired Monday. He has called his rescue his “renaissance.” 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.
“At that moment, you think, `Oh, my God. See, now you know.’ I was always convinced,” she said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. During Houben’s two lost decades, his eyesight was poor, but the experts say he could hear doctors, nurses and visitors to his bedside, and feel the touch of a relative. He says that during that time, he heard his father had died, but he was unable to show any emotion.
Wow, that is one dedicated family…..thanks, mom.
So this is why you want socialized medicine in the US. Cool!
#6 Care to expand on that?
#18 Hard to tell, since demagogues use the same voting technique in congress. I can swear I can see a hand pushing up both demagogues & repugs hand up or keeping them now whenever the “yeay or nay” question comes up
His eyes were blinking. Is that normal for coma victims?
Too often denial will have the denier imagining things that just aren’t true. We see this continually in politics with the Tea Baggers and anti-Climate Change crowd. It was also so evident during the whole Terry Schiavo mess.
The family so wants him to not be brain damaged they will imagine he is cognizant when in actual fact he is merely brain dead and it is the facilitator moving his hand.
If one remembers during the Terry Schiavo episode, TV reports were all playing the same six seconds of Schiavo moving her head out of a total of 73 minutes of recording. This was looped over and over again and again. Then again. Those who wanted Schiavo to be cognizant claimed those six seconds were actual recognition when in fact they were totally random.
#20, skeptic,
There is a difference between a vegetative state and coma. In a vegetative state the brain is basically dead and will generally atrophy (shrink). Most functions, ie breathing, heart beating, etc, are done autonomically (reflex).
In comas the brain is full and functioning although it is damaged. Some coma patients can hear and relate the conversations although they can not react to physical stimuli.
There will always be exceptions, but a vegetative state is usually caused by a lack of oxygen or an overdose of a stimulant such as potassium killing large portions of the brain. A coma is usually caused by a physical injury.
In this case, while there may have been an injury, during the rescue or treatment, his brain could have been deprived of oxygen.
5. ApatheticAlto.
“Before his accident in November 1983, the then-young man spoke four languages, French, Dutch, English and a bit of German, said Dr. Steven Laureys of Liege University.
“Today, he is still capable of communicating in these languages,” he added. He intends to write a book about his extraordinary story.”
-Agence France-Presse
Damn, those facilitated communications caregivers must be good.
“Houben’s case is by no means unique.”
-Agence France-Presse.
Don’t you just know that the folks who actively supported “euthenizing” all the Houbens bitched the most about executions.
RBG
#23, RBG,
As you probably know, or not, speaking several languages is not uncommon for Europeans. Most speak their native language and learn English, German, French, Italian, and even Russian in school.
As for Houben’s case, other than the care giver, is there any evidence he is not still in a vegetative state? Something that is testable. Something more concrete than watching a video of the caregiver guiding his hand?
The problem is, without stimulation a brain loses it cognitive functions and memory. It is highly doubtful anyone could communicate after not communicating for 23 years in clear language, with proper conjugation, spelling, and grammar.
But hey, don’t let reasoning, science, and rational logic get in your way of embracing a “miracle”.
#6 Glad to see you had nothing to support your claim.
#21 And sometimes, some people hide denial with perpetual conFusion.
It’s really fun to see you rant about other’s faults when you represent the very thing you rant about.
#22 You did good differentiating the states, but you failed on the causes, since what causes one thing can cause the other.
24. Mr. F: You mean like technology that can show normal brain activity and logic like there’s a whole pile of such people routinely put down?
RBG
#26, RBG,
You have seldom appreciated the science before, why should I expect you to change now?
Please give us some examples of people routinely put down. I’m not asking for those with normal brain scans, although you might include them, just “put down”.
Yes, I slept-walked through my BSc.
Oh? you know which ones had normal brain scans? That’s one over the doctors quoted in the article then.
RBG
I call BS! If it was me, my first words would be: KILL ME!
It is certainly interesting for me to read this blog. Thanks for it. I like such topics and anything connected to this matter. I would like to read a bit more soon.
Debunked!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/19/miracle-patient-facilitated-communication