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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010
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25

Coma Man Was Conscious for 23 Years

'I was witness to my own suffering,' says Belgian

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(Newser) – A man believed to be in a coma for 23 years following a car accident was actually conscious but completely paralyzed. "I dreamed myself away," said Belgian Rom Houben, now 49. A doctor finally made the correct diagnosis and discovered Houben's brain was completely normal and functioning. With therapy, Houben is now able to communicate tapping out messages on a computer screen.

When he first awoke after the crash "I screamed, but there was nothing to hear," he recalls. "I became a witness to my own suffering as doctors and nurses tried to speak with me until they gave up all hope." He considers the discovery that his brain was functioning his "second birth." All that time locked in his body "I just dreamed of a better life," he says. "Frustration is too small a word to describe what I felt."

Rom Houben was trapped in his frozen body for 23 years.
Rom Houben was trapped in his frozen body for 23 years.   (?Perfecto Insecto)
Rom Houben 'dreamed his life away' lying in a hospital bed for 23 years.
Rom Houben 'dreamed his life away' lying in a hospital bed for 23 years.   (?gjeewaytee)
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25 comments
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bewilderbeast
Nov 23, 09 6:03 AM CST
This is called locked-in syndrome. An amazing book by journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby describes what life is like locked in. Called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Most telling parts for me: 1. His description of how badly and callously a medical specialist (ophthalmologist) treated him; 2. How a friend stuck by him and noticed that his eye twitch MIGHT mean something! Just maybe he was trying to communicate! Well, he was. Thank goodness for such friends. And: Would I be such a friend? Reply
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+20
IN RESPONSE:
DontLikeYou
Nov 23, 09 12:56 PM CST
Remember Terry Schiavo? Murdered by Liberalism.
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-20
IN RESPONSE:
OG_Travis
Nov 23, 09 2:03 PM CST
alright I've figured it out. i know what DLY is doing. he's actually against everything he says. his plan is to piss off reasonable people so that they get fired up and do something about it, like vote or protest or yell at dumb people. i believe in your cause DLY!!
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
MarkFL
Nov 23, 09 4:56 PM CST
Shiavo has nothing to do with this at all. And liberalism has nothing to do with Shiavo. Dontlikeyou has nothing to do with reality.
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+5
IN RESPONSE:
ZephyrEire
Nov 24, 09 1:30 AM CST
dontlikeyou is a neo-con troll who posts in these comments with alarming frequency...and as you can clearly see everything is the fault of liberals in his mind. Just a troll, don't bother feeding it :)
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+1

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