Girl Comes Out of Coma, Able to Recall Memories, Despite Doctors Saying She Would Never Revive
Teresa Neumann (March 7, 2008)
Said doctor: “Short of developing a technique for a complete brain transplant, there is no hope that medical treatment will be discovered in the foreseeable future which could reverse” her condition.
The victim of unspeakable cruelty, 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre of Massachussetts is a living miracle today after coming out of a two-year coma—induced by a brutal beating—by which she was never expected to revive. (AP Photo/Family Handout)
According to an ABC report, Haleigh was once thought to be so irreversibly brain damaged that doctors planned to remove her from life support. She began breathing on her own and showing other signs of brain activity in January 2006, just days before doctors planned to remove her ventilator.
Now, she is reportedly able to communicate and recall her alleged attack.
“It’s nothing short of phenomenal to have someone who is essentially given up for dead survive this and come out of a coma and be able to articulate what happened to her,” said Tim Burke, a former prosecutor and longtime criminal defense lawyer in Boston.
At a court hearing, the report notes that doctors from Baystate Medical Center testified that Haleigh had suffered irreversible brain damage. “Short of developing a technique for a complete brain transplant, there is no hope that medical treatment will be discovered in the foreseeable future which could reverse” her condition, said one doctor, according to court records.
Source: Scott Michels – ABC News