Hope For Comatose Patients

Science is far from omniscient – a woman’s miraculous temporary awakening from a persistent vegetative state stands as proof of this.

Christa Lilly suffered a cardiac arrest in November 2000, and has been in a coma-like state ever since. Her 73-year-old mother took care of her at home and reported to Christa’s doctor that during these years her daughter had awakened five times, sometimes for hours.

Last Sunday, mother Minnie Smith had the wonderful surprise of being answered to her “How are you, baby?” with a “Fine.” Christa then had three consecutive days of lucidity and activity.

She spent time with her family and friends and even went out to eat her favorite foods. Christa was happy to be with her four daughters, including a 12-year-old, and the three grandchildren she hadn’t met before.

"It's just got me dumbfounded," neurologist Dr. Randall Bjork told the Colorado Springs Gazette of Christa Lilly’s, a Colorado Springs resident, unexplainable, astounding revival.

"I'm just not able to explain this on the basis of what we know about persistent vegetative states. I've never seen this quality of awakening, and if this is true, it's going to change how we look at the persistent vegetative state," he told the newspaper.

Bjork confessed he hadn’t believed Christa was awake in the past.

“She was smiling and grinning and told my staff she wanted to go to a club, even doing a little chair dance in her wheelchair,” he mused.

After three miraculous days the 49-year-old woman relapsed in her mysterious state. Bjork considers it a “minimally conscious state” rather than a persistent vegetative state.

“We may have to rethink these people that have been called vegetative in nursing homes who may have some awareness of their horrible circumstances,” Dr. Bjork said. “It goes against the grain of what we thought.”

It seems though that love and caring endure through hopeless times and finally come through. Christa Lilly is a lucky lady to have such a devoted family.