'Medical miracle' as man in near vegetative state speaks again
Thursday August 02 2007
THE mother of a man who was left in a near-vegetative state by a serious assault spoke yesterday of her joy at the "medical miracle" that has allowed him to speak and eat again - and which could benefit tens of thousands of people in a similar condition.
The severely brain-injured patient, now 38, was unable to communicate, swallow or make co-ordinated movements for six years, before doctors revived him from this minimally-conscious state (MCS) with a revolutionary therapy.
Since his skull was implanted with electrodes to stimulate a deep-lying and undamaged part of his brain, he has improved so dramatically that he can now feed himself, brush his hair and recognise and talk to his parents and doctors.
"My son can now eat, sleep, watch a movie without falling asleep, he can drink from a cup, he can express pain, he can cry, and he can laugh."
"He can say, 'I love you, mommy'. God bless those wonderful doctors who believed in my son."
One of his most impressive achievements has been to say from memory the first 16 words of the Pledge of Allegiance, which is recited daily by American schoolchildren.
His mother had previously been told that her son would be "a vegetable for the rest of his life".
The transformation achieved by the deep brain stimulation (DBS) technique, which is already used to treat Parkinson's disease, has raised hopes that it could offer a way back to consciousness for many people with similarly serious brain damage. The first formal clinical trials will now start.
MCS patients differ from those in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) in that they show signs of consciousness and may communicate with simple signals. (© The Times, London)
- Mark Henderson
