So today I was checking CNN, and I came across “Trapped ‘coma’ man: How Was He misdiagnosed?” It is about a man (Rom Houben) in Belgium who is paralyzed for 23 years because of a car accident.
For 23 years, doctors believed that he can’t feel or hear anything at all until Dr. Steven Laureys performed brain scan and discovered that the patient brain is fully functional. So Houben was able to listen to every conversation for 23 years but he couldn’t talk or react and moreover, people around him thought he can’t hear them…
I found this story is interesting, although I don’t know how the doctors couldn’t figure this out before (by brain scan)… I also believe it was emotional moment for Houben and his family… They attached special keyboard to his wheelchair so he can type what he wants to say, and one of his first comments was;
“I notice a big difference now I’m back in contact with the world.”
I can’t imagine living for 23 years without having the ability to communicate with people who think that you can’t hear or feel them…
Anyway, here is the link for this article
