Research on the Brain Front

I've long been fascinated by people who've experienced strokes or brain trauma.  My grandfather experienced his first stroke when I was quite young, and I watched his efforts to recover physical movement, memory, and control of thought processes.  He tended to repeat himself, as he had to when first working on recovery.  That repetition served to re-build his memories.

This article, although not new, addresses some of the recent research on patients with either minimal consciousness or what has been called a "vegetative state".  Keep reading till the end - about the 4th page, it's clear that much of what doctors "know" about the possibilities of meaningful recovery is dead-on wrong.

For that reason, I'm generally opposed to Living Wills that work in favor of pulling the plug too early, or even those that favor sedating the patient into an early death.  I've made my wishes known to my husband and children, and will be filling out the Right to Life website's alternative to Living Wills.

Read here to find out why Living Wills are not a good choice.