Coma? Who's In A Coma?

Who's In A Coma?

         “Doctor! Look, Vince’s eyes are open!”

         “I know, Mrs. Elsworth, it’s been going on for a while now.”

         “Is that normal? I mean, he’s in a coma after all.”

         “I wouldn’t say it’s normal, it is a bit unusual, but it has happened before.”

         “Does he see us then?”

         “I’m afraid not Mrs. Elsworth, right now he’s not seeing anything at all..”

         “I don’t understand. How can he open his eyes and not see us?”

         “From what I’ve read about this type of coma, he can feel changes around him, but he can’t respond. As for seeing? It’s been long known that the eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend. In his state, his mind is shut down almost completely, so he can’t comprehend seeing things when his eyes are open. He doesn’t hear a thing, nor see anything because he’s not aware of his surroundings.

         “But with him opening his eyes, that’s a sign of improvement, right doctor?”

         "I’m sorry Mrs, Elsworth, but I’m afraid that’s not a sign of improvement. As we’ve preciously discussed, Vince’s state is slowly deteriorating. His vital signs remain good, though they are slowly lowering. My biggest concern is his brain activity. We met with Specialists about a week ago, remember?”

         Hearing Doctor Johsnon say that, Judy tucked chin in as much as it could and dropped her head in disappointment. She felt Vince would wake up fully recovered. The meeting with the Specialists had hit her hard, but she never wavered in her conviction that Vince would recover from the coma.

         “I’m sorry Mrs. Elsworth, his brain activity is also deteriorating. In that meeting, we learned that all Vince’s brain waves were normal for about two weeks after he entered the comatose stage. Those brain waves tell us Vince is alive. If he’s alive, there’s a chance for him to recover. If all brain activity ceases, we’ll do more testing to verify what we’ve seen….

         Hearing the finality in Doctor Johnson's tone of voice, Judy burst into tears. Her face turned into something better left unseen as she sobbed in massive shudders. She collapsed into a nearby chair as Doctor Standish waved nearby nurses over.

         Judy’s body shook as she cried. Tears streaked her face causing her makeup to run in rivulets down her face. Suddenly her body stiffened. Despite the two nurses helping her, she slumped to the floor unconscious.

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         “Doctor Johnson, is Judy going to be okay?”

         “That’s very difficult to say Mr. Elsworth. You were in a horrible accident after all. It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt badly also.”

         “I hate to sound like a commercial, but I think my seatbelt saved my life. Judy didn’t have hers buckled though,”

         “I’m not an officer of the law, you don’t have to tell me more.”

         “I know doctor, but I have to talk this out. I need to tell someone what happened.”

         “Vince! Vincent! How’s Judy?”

         “Oh thank God you’re here Mike! I wasn’t sure when you would get my voice mail. I’m not sure how Judy is right now. She’s unconscious, possibly in a coma. The doctor says she could remain that way for a few days.”

         Mike and Vince had been childhood friends who remained close despite going separate ways after college. Mike was in real estate while Vince was a technician for a local 2-Way Radio company.

         “You know I don’t mean to pry Vince, but what happened?”

         “You know how much Judy and I love just going for a drive? Yeah, I know. Anyway, we had gone camping on the coast and were returning home taking the scenic route. I was driving down the Hwy 50 when she said she needed her sunglasses from her backpack. She unbuckled her seat belt to get to her backpack in the backseat. I looked at her for a moment and was more distracted than I thought. After grabbing them she turned to sit down, and screamed so loud I thought my ears would burst! I jerked my head around, and in doing so I must have turned the wheel. All I know is that suddenly the car was sideways, then it started rolling. With no seatbelt to hold her in place, Judy must have bounced around in the car like a ping-pong ball.”

         At this point the doctor returned and Vince asked him, “Doctor, does Judy hear anything we’re saying? Her eyes opened for a brief moment while you were out and that made me wonder."


         The question readers need to answer is, “Who’s in a coma? Judy? Or Vincent?