If you are in a coma and you are NOT feed then you will die. Not allowing tube feeding is a switch that you can use but it is not an instant death.

BRmama I don't want to take sides here because basically this is a situation of a mother's love overriding her logic, but if she couldn't feed herself (hence the feeding tube) then she WAS being kept alive.

I have to be honest. While I'm not really sure if I would like to be kept alive in such a situation or not (with the hope that some cure was found and I could be brought back) I also think that living in a "prison without walls" where your brain might be active but you would have nothing to do would be horrible in my opinion.

I can certainly understand if you can't go out and get food for yourself or work if you're paralyzed...you are still keeping yourself alive. Even if someone has to bring you food...if you can eat it under your own power then I still think there is hope...but once you have machines start breathing for you and feeding you intravenously...that is just not living...And after 10,20,30,40 years? I don't know what that is...but it's not living.

valgrom there was no machine breathing for her just a feeding tube. Their are tens of thousands of people out there who survive through feeding tubes many of them not in a coma. There are human beings who are fully paralyzed from the neck down who require feeding tubes or for example Stephen Hawking who cant use a single muscle in his entire body other then his tongue to press one spot on his cheek which he uses to communicate.

Jerry, your argument is flawed. There are many options available such as physician assisted end-of-life events. Also when "conservatives" advocate killing it's usually called WAR when "liberals" advocate killing...well they don't usually but to "conservatives" it's called abortion. You say you're anti-murder but something tells me you have no problem putting dogs and cats to death if they are suffering but draw the line at humans? Why? Suffering is suffering regardless of who or what you are. A scared 16 yr old asked her parents to stay by her side not let her sit on a feeding tube for 42 years. You do what's best for your children no matter how hard. I'm not knocking there hope or dedication but at some point you as the parent need to make the tough decisions.

Inspirational? What I am about to say is my personal thoughts and feelings. Anyone who would do to another human being what is described here is very sick, sick to the point of base criminality. The Mother, father, Sister, and all involved, are as crazy and cruel as nature is capable of allowing. I know! How well I know! They, and many, view them as self sacrificing angelic creatures, who have committed themselves to a life of the highest nobility, and selfless caring, but I don't buy it, not even for one moment. Such is, at best, a facade of those things, hiding horrendous, and often sadistic personalities. I am very close to such a case right now. The laddie is 22 years now. Been in this state since 9 months. Can't breath on His own. Skin stretched over bone. Looks like a very deformed and dead baby. His Mother carries Him around everywhere, packed in a modified childs wagon that also accomodates his required paraphernalia. She shows Him to all who will see Him, tells His story to all who will listen, basks in the praise of Her unusual Motherly love given by the foolish, who ooh and ahhh over the poor thing, and This Mother(sic) always accepts all the offerings those treated to the sick presentation bestow upon Her. To my mind, this kind of activity far exceeds all those various tenders of biblical hell. The laddie is dead. Should be given that respect.

No, the answer is not to let her starve. The answer is administer morphine until her body shut down. There would be no pain, and no slow, torturous death. Spending 42 years in a coma? She was nothing more than a breathing piece of furniture. Is that is being kind or the right thing to do? I would hope my family would have the sense to kill me with either morphine or, if they want to be cheap, a .45 to the head.

You should be so proud Jerry, to believe in forcing people to suffer being anti-choice in regards to someone else's life. Does it make you feel big and powerful telling others they have to die horribly of a terminal disease or a crippling body because you don't think they should be able to die on their own terms?

You've clearly never spent a second of your life in a cancer ward or one of the many other happy locations like nursing homes with terminally ill folks. You'd change your opinion in a heartbeat if someone you loved was suffering terribly and you had to witness just how horrible their daily life became. Then they confide in you about how they can't continue to suffer anymore and wish to die today. I've dealt with this 5 times in the past 8 years and every day I wished they could have died on their own terms; When they wanted to stop the agony. I hope neither you or any of your loved ones dies from a slow, painful disease. You just may understand why people feel that the same sympathy we show our suffering pets should be available to people as well.

In an announcement of Edwarda's death posted Thursday on a website dedicated to her, Colleen O'Bara wrote: "Yesterday while taking care of Edwarda I noticed her looking directly at me and gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. She then closed her eyes and joined my Mom in Heaven."

not sure if its bad reporting or i am missing something? being in a coma means you are not conscience and definitely not looking at anything nor smiling. did she come out of the coma just before death? if so would that not be pretty traumatic after these many decades?

i would never ask anyone to take care of me beyond a reasonable time period in a situation like this, i view this as selfishness on the part of the daughter but selflessness on the part of the family members. taking care of an invalid is pretty time consuming, hard on relationships and very costly. unconditional love is just an excuse for not wanting to let go.

And the solution would be, what? Tortorous death by starvation? It might last a few weeks, but it would be quicker? What?

she would have never suffered if they stopped he feeding tubes, she was in a coma. she would die within days from dehydration, not starvation.

This is why everybody should have an Advance Health Care Directive (aka living will). I remember the Republicans freaked out when "ObamaCare" offered to cover that expense. "Trying to kill Grandma" or some silly sheet like that.

It should be YOU deciding, not left to your survivors or the government to have to decide.

Before she died, she smiled.................. . . .

This woman wasn't a pet, and comparisons to pets are wrong. I'm not going to judge the family that took care of her even though I would not want to remain in that state for that long. None of us knows what she was like as a 16 year old, or how the last conversation she had was conducted, so to say we know, from our distance from her and with no knowledge of who she was a human, what she thought or would want, is supremely arrogant.

It doesn't appear from the story that she was a financial burden on anyone other than the family. So their choice to care for her is none of our business. And this, frankly, is one of the many reasons I would prefer we get government entirely out of the health care equation. Most of the posters above, if I were to fall into a coma, would be at the ready to deprive me of care if I was in any way a financial burden on them. I don't think it is ever a good idea to reduce another person to a bean-counting exercise, or to claim we hold the moral high ground in deciding for them what they should want. Ours is a brave new world.

Someone asked above about comas. A coma does not necessarily mean that one is completely unconscious at all times, unable to respond to any and all stimuli. Comas come in varying degrees, and some people slip in and out of a coma too. This woman's final smile and gaze before she died doesn't mean she wasn't in a coma, just as it doesn't mean she was conscious and sentient.

People need to stop judging others and do what they would do and leave it at that. Instead of being judgemental @!$%#s, maybe people should realize that the mass majority have not been put in that situation. By the way some of you guys talk you treat your offspring like animals and would put them to sleep at the first sign of inconvenience.

i don't understand what the parents think they were accomplishing. 42 years in a coma?......even if she came out of it after 10 years - the physical battle she would have faced would be insurmountable. 42 years?!......that's ridiculous.

Don't Miss the Truth, Let's be honest Obamacare would help this girl be able to get insurance to help herself. It's the insurance companies that had the death panels. & why was she at their house & not in a nursing home, is it possible that no insurance would take care of her as she had a pre-existing condition?

I commend the parents for taking care of their daughter, the dedication, time & expense must of been great for them, but their love was greater. It was their choice to take care of her & I believe she was loved dearly. Rest in peace for her & her parents. I think the daughter knew & in her way was saying thank you to her sister for helping her when she smiled at her.

I think everyone should have a Living Will. It gives instructions on how you want to die or not die if you are in a lengthy coma or in a vegetative condition. Many people don't wish to inconvenience anyone for 40 years as in this woman's care nor even for 40 days if it is determined they will never recover from a vegetative condition and although she was not brain dead, she was in a vegetative condition.

This girl's family took care of her in a loving manner, those were their wishes, however, she might have wished they had just let her die a natural death rather than allowing her to lie in bed with a feeding inserted in her abdomin through which liquid nutrients flowed into her for 40 years.

What a waste of lives caring for a dead person. You get one shot don't waste it. @!$%# happens, people die, move on.

Sorry if this dose of reality hurts. Perhaps it will save someone from a life wasted.

There are people coming from around the world to pay for health care in America. Once Obamacare gets going how long do you think that will be the case?

My wife thinks that America has lost it's mind going for Obamacare. She said our system while not perfect is still one the best systems in the world before Obamacare comes into full operation.

************************************

Who gives a shyt what your wife has to say......

This health care system in this country IS BROKEN

Im sorry single payer wasnt dealt

But it will when the Dems find out they shouldnt have caved on that..

Before if you didnt have the money you either die, or go to the emergency and THE REST OF US have to pay for your visit

Now at least for the most part anybody will be able to get SOME SORT of insurance through pools

Why dont you and your wife go back to your third world country since she thinks it was so good there...

******************************

“I’m somebody who’s in favor of public health insurance and think we do better than the U.S.,” said Michael Rachlis, a physician, healthy policy consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. “But I won’t deny the problems we have in our system with waits and delays and chronic disease management.”

The one positive measure of Canada’s system that its proponents often cite is life expectancy.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Canadians have a life expectancy of 80.7 years compared to 78.1 years for Americans. (Japan tops the list of 29 industrialized countries with 82.4 years.) One widespread interpretation is that Canadians live longer than their neighbors because no legal resident of Canada is without health insurance

THEN

Karen C

I have had cancer twice - the first time was 20 years ago. The last time was a different type of cancer and that was diagnosed 4 years ago. I waited a month with the first cancer but only because I did not want to go to a different city. The last time, I was diagnosed on Thursday and was operated on two days later on a Saturday. Obviously, I recovered both times, so.....

Don't believe everything you hear. In fact, if it is coming from the status quo in the States and has anything to do with Universal medicare as practiced in Canada, you might be well advised not to listen to it at all.

Mathew H

No, that's true at all. Trust me when I say this... and you don't have to believe me... just listen to what I'm saying...... 90% of the stuff you guys hear about our medical system is horror stories. They're either made up stories, or they were serious mistakes. For some reason there's lots of detractors down there from universal medicare... which is fine I guess.... it just ticks me off they villify our system... it's none of their business anyways I wish they would just focus on their problems for a change.

Pumbaa171:
If you are in a coma and you are NOT feed then you will die. Not allowing tube feeding is a switch that you can use but it is not an instant death.

Well, duh.

If she stopped getting food, then she would die. Something that could be said about any human on the planet. No coma necessary.

This would be a very tough choice for me. My first thoughts were that the family held hope that she would recover and wake up one day. Since the girl / woman was not brain dead therewould be that chance perhaps. To starve he to death seems wrong to me althou78gh livingso long and never waking makes us feel her life was a waste. However this story serve to teach us all that life, no matter how frail or non- productive is valuable and should be charishished. I am hear to tell all of you who say that they should have just stopped feed ing her or assisted her in dying that if this family had done either they would carry the guilt of murdering thier child or sibling until they them selves passed.

I say that because my wife who I had cared for for many years went into a coma and we had the choice. She had had many operations over many years. she lost both legs and was confined to a wheelchair or bed. I picked her up ihnto the car to take her shopping . I put her in the tub for bathing. She was able to do some things from her wheelcair but was weak. She showed so much strength and courage it was amazing. She was is constant pain from poor circulation but she rarely let it show. she took 24 meds to keep her pain under control and keep her alive.Finally her heart gave up. She had congestive heart failure and went into a coma. She would sometimes react to a voice or a sould with a smile or eye movement for the first few days. We kept her on her meds that the doctors had added to keep her going until our daughter got home from Afganistan. When She got to the hospital and we allowed time for her to say her goodbyes we/ I made the call to have all meds stopped except pain control. She actually began to improve for a time on her own but soon her vitals began to fail. After 12 hours she passed. During that time i kept telling myslef it is what she told me she wanted. We knew her life would be short and she had lived 5 years longer than predicted but i still didn't want to lose her. On the 4th of December it will be 4 years since I made that call and it still pains me today even though I know it was what she told me to do and was best for her quality of life. She would never have recovered . To cause someone you love to die because of YOUR choice is extremely hard to do and one you will never fully accept as the right choice.

Avenger, I just wanted to add a voice of sympathy. In April after a year and a half if illness that restricted him to our home my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer. On November 6th he died at home on hospice. I read the words above yours in a vague way knowing most of the people writing had never confronted what it really means to be a full time caregiver for someone who is physically incapable of functioning. I have regrets. No matter what choices you make you will have regrets that is a given. Their are no right answers. The man I love is gone and life seems so empty but he is also at peace with God. I could have kept him alive on breathing tubes etc in a hospital or I could let nature take its course at home as gently as possible. There are those who judge me for that but I knew what he had left to look forward to. We managed to keep going 5 months longer than we were told to hope for and it was a hard fight. In the end he could not even turn himself in bed or eat more than a few bites of applesauce. To the end his wonderful brilliant mind was working but he was unable to form the words. At times in order for me to understand him we would play a guessing game that could last for a hour or more where I would try to guess what he intended to say. To the end the man was a saint, never whining or complaining always understanding that I was doing my best to care for him and our two year old daughter. I still talk to him and that helps but I miss him horribly. In the back of my mind is always the thought I could have kept him alive longer but also the understanding that he would not have wanted the life he would have had under those conditions.

she died 42 years ago.she existed much longer.i can see keeping a loved one alive in a coma for a while.but 42 years is ridiculous

johnQcitizen2 -- I couldn't agree more. If someone did that to me and there was any way for me to come back and kill them, I would. Another strong reason for us all to have a Living Will and demand the plug be pulled. Yes, yes, yes, some people come out of comas after a while but to keep them going like a heart-beating vegetable for 42 flippin' years? This is complete insanity!!!! Again, if someone did that to me, I'd be horrified! We all deserve our dignity, even in death.

shizzlite

Jerry,
your argument is flawed. There are many options available such as
physician assisted end-of-life events.

Which will always be a hot topic, and both sides can argue their point until they are blue in the face. Also your stance is going to be based of your view on the world with God in it, or not. Taking life is not our right to take. Even if there was no God, I still would be opposed to taking life. Also people can be in coma's for any length of time. Some times years, and they come out of it and lead on with lives just fine, who are we to end life ? What a butchering society we are to keep killing the defensless, elderly, handicapped, comatose, unborn. I shudder thinking of how society has shifted , going backwards into a more barbaric society. They say history repeats itself, and that I believe.

Also when "conservatives"
advocate killing it's usually called WAR when "liberals" advocate
killing...well they don't usually but to "conservatives" it's called
abortion. You say you're anti-murder but something tells me you have no
problem putting dogs and cats to death if they are suffering but draw
the line at humans?

Animals are animals, Humans are Humans. I dont advocate killing of animals for fun, nor would I if they were suffering. Since I do have a biblical view of the world, I do recognize the difference between us and animals, and the dominion we have over them.

Why? Suffering is suffering regardless of who or
what you are. A scared 16 yr old asked her parents to stay by her side
not let her sit on a feeding tube for 42 years. You do what's best for
your children no matter how hard. I'm not knocking there hope or
dedication but at some point you as the parent need to make the tough
decisions.

There was no tough decisions in regards of life or death. The tough decisions would be how to adjust your life to take care of someone you love, and who wanted you to be there with them, not finish them off like some mercy kill. God gives live, and its his and only his right to take the life. HE clearly said, I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.

I dont want any one to ever pull any plug on me regardless of how disbaled , crippled or in pain I am, God will take me when hes ready. If I have to live and endure pain ( which i do anyway ) then its smaill in comparison to the etneral life I will be living afterwards.

Marmaduke49

I find it amusing when people use religion as a basis for rational thought as if those that are not religious have no morality.

In a purist sense, any of the plugs that could be pulled were created by "man" not "God". So in reality, using logic, had this woman never been given the diabetic medicine, created by man, that caused her condition, "God" could have taken her 42 years ago. Justify that in the eyes of "God". If I were "God", it might just piss me off that "man" kept her from me.

John..

God tells us that life is precious and to preserve it. The guiding light is a promise of everlasting life if we believe when we do pass on. We are to live life as long as we can and do all we can to save life and comfort those who are suffering. the one thing i have witnessed tima and again is people like you who, when thier tilme is near will cling to life desperatly and even accpet God on thier death bed in hopes of eternal life. i am sure you willl scoff at these words but you will remeber them when your about to die and hear me saying i told your so and welcome to the Kingdom of heaven.

Hello folks, Seven2Seven you are absolutely right! I wouldn't even let my dog suffer through that type of "existence"! I would provide him with more dignity than that. Dr. Kevorkian is a hero and his services would have allowed this person to move on to the next stage of her evolution in a respectable manner.

I'm surprised they didn't stuff and mount her like Trigger for their sick sense of altruism!

Avenger and Jerry said it best. I totally agree with them.

And before she died ,she smiled OVER all idiotic ideas of the spiritually ignorant and handicaped people that are playing God and decide who and when to live and not to live, die and not die......Dpn't you see a lesson of love here..... or you are too blind to see and too deaf to hear......

wow what a hell life. if im in a coma i would ask please leave me alone, let me starve to death and die naturally. 42 years in a coma? let a person rest in peace.

Avenger-2464988#1.24 & PJ-697731 #1.25~~

My condolences to you both. After my Mom suffered a stroke, over 30 years ago, which at that time was a death sentence, her mental faculties were very alert, but she was paralyzed and lost all of her independence and had to go into a nursing facility. At that time, there was no such thing as a living will. I had to make her end of life decision, based on her wishes, which had been stated to me, many times through out my adult life. She was severely, dis-abled, in the nursing facility for three years, when she had another, even more devastating stroke. I had to notify the doctor of her end of life, wishes, which was a very hard thing to do. My advice to everyone is, get your living will. It is not fair to place that burden of end of life decisions upon someone else. It is a personal decision, that Obamacare and/or politics, or the thoughts and/or opinions of others are not an option. It is personal!

We are not masters of life and death, not yet.

I do not know what I would do or how far my capacity to serve would carry me if it were my child. My desperate hope that she would awake and my fear and dread of losing her would keep me believing that if I just do enough of what is right she will be OK and I won't lose her.

In cases like this one with Edwarda, I do agree with those that think it is best for all concerned to have let her die. I also agree that this situation can be perceived to be one in which the family got caught up in their self created and self imposed own angelic experience. The feeling that they were doing something that was absolute good, absolute selflessness with absolute unconditional love for an angel was an addictive spiritual high for this precious family.

Some people just manage the awful truth about grief better than others. even though their struggle is unbearably painful too. I think that for some people, just the fear of grief is enough to keep them clinging to any thread of hope that will keep their loved one with them for just a little longer. In this case, it was 42 years.

In heartbreaking circumstances similar to this, we need people who are sympathetic enough, smart enough and tough enough to help us let go of our fear and help us face the real pain of grief. I think these precious folk, in this story, did what we all would do in the beginning. We would over ride our fear and dread with absolute hope and faith, absolutely believing God would perform a miracle for us and spare us this unimaginable loss.

Man is learning more and more about how to defeat death. We really do live in an age where it seems like everyday some miracle medical break through in science happens. This has raised all of our expectations of being heal and living longer healthier lives. Some people's faith in God and science has made accepting the defeat of death harder and more prolonged. For others, their faith in God allows them to refuse modern science and face death with relief. we still can't master life or death.

Life breaks the heart and death defeats us. There just isn't one universal way to do everything that works for everybody, not yet.

Avenger-2464988

There you go attacking my morality, assuming because I don't share your belief in one supreme being that I couldn't possibly believe that all life is precious and that it should be preserved. It should be preserved to the extent that there is "quality" in life. If you believe in your book written by "men" then you must believe that Christ suffered for us and that we should not suffer the same fate. Or, do you believe that anyone who suffers into death is doing it for our sins. As far as I am concerned, believing in religion would force one to believe that nailing a man to a cross is no different than nailing this woman to her bed for 42 years. It was done for others and not for her.

I also find it amusing that those that profess their faith to the degree that all life is precious and should be preserved are some of the same people who trumpet the loudest to go to foreign lands to kill others of different faith. Not that you are, it is just typical holier than though attitude.

See how lucky you are .

Some many posters are vilifying the parents for keeping their daughter alive for 42 years. However, when it comes down to it, it is primarily the mother who is at fault. The father died in 1976, only six years after his daughter went into a coma. I am a strong proponent of Living Wills and the right of the patient to request euthanasia. Even I can almost agree that keeping the woman alive for six years is not unreasonable. People have awakened after years of being in a coma. However, 42 years is extreme. My guess is that the mother felt she had no other purpose in life after the father died. She is the parent who took this to the extreme, not so much the father. As for the sister, I wonder if she ever had a life of her own. Did she go to college, marry, have kids, build a career, or was she merely subjugated and brainwashed into carrying for her sister by her mother?

Marmaduke49 #1.28~~Also people can be in coma's for any length of time. Some times years, and they come out of it and lead on with lives just fine

Names and comatose length of time, PLEASE!

This has nothing to do with Obamacare, it is more of a right to die story. Obamacare would have made no difference in this case. Do you really think that after all these years the insurance company was paying for all of her care? I'm quite certain they weren't, and they shouldn't. Same with Obamacare. If this family chooses to keep their loved one alive by any means, that is their choice. But any type of insurance should not be covering the costs of it. If you consider that to be death panels, then I guess I am in favor of death panels. Consider it this way (which in a round-about way, it is the case), what if someone came to your door each week to collect your share of money for caring for this person. Why should we all be responsible for the choice this family makes.

Now as far as what this family did, I think it is one of the most caring and unselfish things I have ever heard. Those of you saying she should have been allowed to die, does that mean she could feel pain, sorrow, boredom? If so, do we let anyone who feels these things die (most teens feel this way much of the time). To me, saying she could feel those things is more reason to keep her alive. If she wasnt feeling those things because she couldn't feel, think, perceive anything, then what difference would death make?

funny how some people wish to push their views on others. just because they made a decision you would not have made does'nt make it wrong. she was not suffering at all. she was simpley feed and i don't see how you can say thats keeping her alive when you have to feed a baby. not much difference. because it was a diabetic coma there was always a chance of recovery.

i commend the family for their committment to their child and while it may not have been a choice some here would have made i don't see where you have any right to judge the decision they made

Some of you seem to think a living will is a death panel. IT IS NOT! It only lets your personal decision, of if, and when you want to be put on life support, be known to you doctor and your hospital. If at any time you change your mind, and choose a different decision, you have the freedom to do so. It is called advanced directive, of your own personal wishes. Please, everyone get your living will and don't put that burden on your loved ones. Who wants to burden your loved ones with having to care for nothing more than a vegetable. I choose not. When I lose my independence, I want to check out. But to each his own. We all have to die sometime.

Gosh, I came away from reading this article with a renewed sense of compassion, and in awe at the lesson that her sister realized which was the true meaning of unconditional love. I felt peaceful. Then I started reading all the nonsense crap in these posts and wondered if I was the only one who felt uplifted. Sorry you guys missed the real message here - that as a society, wouldn't we be better off if we treated everyone as if they are our brothers and sisters? Isn't that what every spiritual leader has taught?

Sorry you guys missed the real message here...

mozzie - the hypocrisy of people like you never ceases to amaze me. Who died and made you god? What makes you so certain that your view is right and the view of other posters is wrong? I see nothing uplifting about the fact that someone kept a comatose patient alive for 42 years. I find it depressing that the parents and now the sister never had real lives but spent their lives tending to a comatose individual who should have been allowed to die with dignity. If they wanted to spend their lives in the service of others, their lives would have been much better spent caring for conscious people who need the help. That would actually contribute to the betterment of society. How has caring for a comatose individual contributed to the betterment of anyone?

You are entitled to your opinion, but so are the other people in this discussion. You have no right to criticize them for their thoughts simply because they do not comply with yours.

Having been in an induced coma, if I couldn't come out of it then I wouldn't care, either way. The mom and family kept her alive for the chance of her coming back. That's commendable but to the person on the bed, it doesn't register at all.

Its so easy to sit in judgement of this family....to be arm chair quarterbacks.... Some of the hateful things posted hear are truly disturbing...I'm looking at you Mac Forrester.... who are any of us to judge these people? My personal feelings are just that...mine....I would not want my family to have to care for me for that long when for all intents and purposes...I'm not there anymore. But thats me. I have all my paperwork in order should something like this ever happen. She was a kid when this happened so there could be no "DNR" for her. How about everyone stop pointing fingers... take a lesson from this story and make sure you have all your i's dotted and t's crossed so that your families never have to face this decision. RIP Edwarda Obara....

scales - the hypocrisy of people like you never ceases to amaze me

Wow. Please, do explain. Why am I a hypocrite? I live my life according to my standards, and you, apparently, to yours, misbegotten as they may be.

You have no right to criticize them for their thoughts simply because they do not comply with yours.

You are mistaken. I am not being critical, just stating an observation. Yours is a knee-jerk reaction from – a jerk, naturally.

I see nothing uplifting about the fact that someone kept a comatose patient alive for 42 years.

Again, you're wrong. If I may respond, knowing full well that you are not open to any interpretation but your own: anything else would have been murder. This woman was not being kept alive by artificial means; she was in a natural diabetic coma, breathing on her own.

If they wanted to spend their lives in the service of others, their lives would have been much better spent caring for conscious people who need the help.

Really. And who's playing "god" here? That would be YOU, dearie. You have no right to tell other people how to live their lives!

I feel real sorry for you, truly, having to live in the skin that you do with such an angry disposition all the time. Try being less defensive and hostile. You'll live longer.

And, this is the end of our conversation, as I see it. You're just too weird to waste my time on.

Riversong - She was a kid when this happened so there could be no "DNR" for her.

Well, as I understand it, a DNR would not be applicable in this case anyway because she was breathing on her own and did not require external support to keep her alive, only sustenance. She was not being kept on external life support. Unless I missed something to the contrary in the article.

I would not want my family to have to care for me for that long when for all intents and purposes, I'm not there anymore.

I don't remember what kind of service a woman I read about was performing for others, but it was significant; and what she said could possibly apply to this family's loving attention all these years. When asked about what she was doing, she said, (bless her) that she was "Just sendin' up timber." I love that phrase, and I think it is fitting to apply it to this family. In case you don't know what she meant, she said (a metaphor for sure) that she was just sending up the materials to build her home in heaven. In other words, (in the Buddhist tradition, anyway--however, I think she was Baptist) she was erasing her karma...

Good for you Mozzie. Thank you for your perspective and I have no idea why you would be attacked for such a non-inflammatory viewpoint as that. And to add to the comment

I see nothing uplifting about the fact that someone kept a comatose patient alive for 42 years.

I do see something very uplifting about it. And just because others don't see it doesn't mean it isn't very powerful to others. Some people use their time helping to save animals from harm. Others see nothing of value to it. It is all a matter of personal opinion so to say this family didn't do anything of value is very wrong. It has value to me and to many others. In my opinion, if you are using your time to improve something, no matter how small, it has value.

LA99999,

You’re most welcome. And thank you for your kind comments. I, too, was surprised at the response I received from this poster, as no malice in the least was intended. I might have been responding to a troll – someone who, with nothing constructive to say, just likes to bring attention to themselves. So be it. They didn’t bother me. I try to keep the same disposition all the time, albeit sometimes it’s challenging, isn’t it? ;)

I can think of no greater torture if she knew what was going on but unable to communicate like in that movie "Awakening" which was base on a true story. How would we know? Did she have any brain function? As far as it being right or wrong to have kept her alive all I can say is, would you want to be kept alive like that? I think most would say no. She was given less mercy than the average extremely ill dog or cat.

Did people NOT read the article? "According to the Herald, just before she lost consciousness, Edwarda asked her mother, Kaye O’Bara, to never leave her side, and her family never did." While I personally would not want to be comatose for years, the family was clearly honoring the daughter's wishes. I think it was a very touching story, and those bashing the family should be ashamed of themselves.

john-737278

Marmaduke49

I find it amusing when people use religion as a basis for rational thought as if those that are not religious have no morality.

In a purist sense, any of the plugs that could be pulled were created by "man" not "God". So in reality, using logic, had this woman never been given the diabetic medicine, created by man, that caused her condition, "God" could have taken her 42 years ago. Justify that in the eyes of "God". If I were "God", it might just piss me off that "man" kept her from me.

Our entire understanding of morality comes from God. An absolute reasoning of truth and being able to differentiate between Good and Evil, right and wrong. We as people have a long history going back to God of the Bible. Our nation, and its founding fathers were very religious people and also recognized that society would collapse without God. This doesnt mean we are to force religion on anyone, no where has anyone said that. But to accept there is a God and life by the moral principals of God of the Bible.

Religion by itself isnt bad, its the people that make it bad.

any idea of whether they were getting paid for being caregivers?

It takes a stronger person to follow Gods course than to take the easy way. It is commendable that this family took such great care of this girl. I personally have told my family if I have to be on life support then it's time to pull the plug. I consider forced tube feedings to be the same, however if it were my child I couldn't let them go. I would at least try for 3-5 yrs in hopes they would wake. After that I would want them to go in peace. I hope I never have to make that kind of decision nor endure the kind of heartache this family went through over their baby girl. It is heart wrenching to read this article.

btw...those who are commenting about the family being paid to be caregivers. lol that certainly shows your mentality. If the girl was in a nursing home the family wouldn't be receiving any monetary payment for her care the nursing home would.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vgV7w-rCWw

the link above is a video of Edwarda's mother. She was more than 65,0000.00 in debt trying to take care of her daughter and she relied on pro-althletes such as miami dolphins football player Gene Atkins and movie stars who came to her house to see Edwarda and donated memorbila of theirs for Edwarda's mother to auction off every March to help her afford to take care of her daughter. She took care of her daughter round the clock all by herself until she passed away. There was also an Ewarda trust fund that was set up by the media as well. So basically her mother paid a good portion of the cost both physically and financially in caring for her daughter.

It would be hard to criticize a loving parent for doing everything possible to keep there daughter alive while hoping for a happy outcome. The question of what is life and when is it better to let go is difficult choice, especially if you are emotionally attached to the person in question. The Glasgow Coma Scale has long been used to classify a patient in a coma. It can be wrong.

A man named Rom Houben paralyzed in an accident was in a diagnosed "coma" for 23 years but was fully conscious and unable to communicate with the outside world. Recent advances in brain scan technology detected the activity. The pioneer in this new brain scan method, Dr Steven Laureys, is quoted as saying many cases of vegetative states are misdiagnosed, but "anyone who bears the stamp of "unconscious" just one time hardly ever gets rid of it again"

Because Edwarda feel into the coma decades before this new technology was available and then spent the rest of her life at home, the thought that she could have been fully conscious but unable to function or communicate with the outside world, sounds horrible to me. Maybe, just maybe, the smile at the end was relief her four-decade-long living nightmare was finally over.

maybe she was meant to pass on the day she passed on?

She was more than 65,0000.00 in debt...

Glenda05 - so now that the mother has died, those to whom she owed money will never recover what is due to them. Did you ever think of that? Is it fair for other individuals to lose because the mother could not pay her debts?

I can see the struggle between the two views.. but Living wills will take care of most of the "doubts" here... If lacking that then it's up to the family.. simple as that... Many talked about the "living" and how selfish the family was by "taking care of her till the end" but in my eyes.. and since it is a family matter... She really did die in dignity.

I' myself, would have a DNR on me and after a week (I'm not sure) All life sustaining measure would cease and I go home to be with the Lord. Again.. it is between the family members... Few can know how hard it is to take care of a comatose patient and the care they they poured into her... God bless them and It IS there right.

"She taught me so much, and I’m talking about now, after she was in the coma," Colleen O’Bara told the Herald. "She taught me so much about unconditional love that I couldn’t say I had it before. She taught me about patience that I didn’t have before."

I believe they were blessed when Edwarda went into the coma--because they had this opportunity to learn and know unconditional love, and they didn't turn away from it.

People often wonder why God "lets" tragedies happen, why He allows children to be born with a handicap, or to suffer; I've always believed that God "lets" these tragedies happen so we mortals would learn unconditional love for each other.

get your health care proxy on board and fill out your dnr paperwork if you know what's goood for you.

Wow, cause it all comes down to money. Bet you are one of those creeps who would run down others to get a cheap Chinese TV all to celebrate a holiday!

rb-justice

If any of the cost of this was not passed onto the taxpayer or insurance providers, then no foul. Otherwise it would be a frivolous waste of resources.

The Nazis thought and acted upon that sentiment. We executed Nazis for it. It's time for a new round of Nuremburg trials. Those who think protecting the life of vulnerable, defenseless, innocent human beings is a frivilous waste of recourses need to be treated like those found guilty at Nuremburg. One rope, little expense, no loss.

Jerry-

Then you don't want Obamacare, do you?

Because under Obamacare it will be a bunch of bureaucrats who would decide her fate, not her family. Under Obamacare Edwarda would be left to die because she is of no use to society.

The Nazis thought and acted upon that sentiment.

not even the slightest bit of truth in that but im sure you dont care. it is not my responsibility to care for others through my tax dollars. if someone was to ask me for help then i shall help but as it is now the government forces by penalty of prison the taking of private monies to give to people who do not deserve it, that is theft. when you pick winners and losers, everyone loses.

compassion has nothing to do with theft and nothing to do with protection and definitely nothing to do with money.

What an incredibly inspirational story and beautiful example of total family love.Those of you who have commented on the total waste of time this mom and family exhibited for their daughter/sister and financial drain, you're wrong. How very easy for you to judge when you're not in their shoes. The woman was in a coma and could have awoken at any time. Doctors simply cannot predict. She wasn't being kept alive thru extraordinary means despite being fed thru a feeding tube. Many people are fed thru feeding tubes. Should society deem them "not worthy of life"? Your opinions are just that and matter not. Walk in their shoes and believe me, you will feel differently. God will surely bless this amazing family for the loving care they showed their loved one for so many, many years.

Tammy - Obamacare does not have a bunch of bureaucrats deciding her care, you are getting it confused with the insurance companies, they are the ones that have the death panels, besides I'm sure the insurance companies were not even paying for care, as they would of kicked her off a long time ago.

Swaggnaut - How do you know who these people are, that may or may not deserve help? or are all of them not deserving of help?

Tammy-311614:

Then you don't want Obamacare, do you?

Because under Obamacare it will be a bunch of bureaucrats who would decide her fate, not her family. Under Obamacare Edwarda would be left to die because she is of no use to society.

Go back to Fox where people believe that crap.

Tammy you are a complete and utter idiot! Obama health care is for all the people to have fair and equal care no matter what the situation is. Go back under your rock and stay there! You replubicans disgust me you would pull the plug on this lady but your anti choice move to Costa Rica with Limbaugh

Obamacare or Insurance companies in our current health care-What's the difference? NONE. If you haven't realized by now that insurance companies have been deciding your health care future for decades, you are either very naive or you haven't had any health problems.

It has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the almighty dollar.

And all you saying Obamacare takes away our choice of insurance, we have little choice now. Our options are to go with whatever choice our employer makes, go without insurance, or pay through the nose for our own policy. I don't see how Obamacare will change that at all, except maybe give us another not as costly choice through the state. The rhetoric the right puts out there is unbelievable.

maybe money was wasted, not sure. but do we really want a society where the cost of saving someone is the only factor to consider when we save them? think of the implications of that

Tammy-311614 #7.3 A long time ago, prior to Obamacare, there was another, (15 year) comatose Fl woman, Terri Schiavo. The husband Michael, exercised his authority to call time to pull the plug. Her parents disagreed.

A bunch of bureaucrats, including, Fl Gov Jeb Bush (R), U.S. President George W. Bush(R), along with congress persons (R) and senators (R) returned to Washington D.C. in the dark of night, to sign legislation designed to keep her alive, going against the spouses decision. That is a fact as it happened. Unlike the falsehoods, that you state Obamacare will or will not do. Republican bureaucrats, continue to seek control of healthcare for women.

The 16 year old could not have a living will. But every adult can and should sign your own living will and avoid this political crap from being forced upon you

The Terry Schiavo case was a completely different scenario. I would never want to tke away the rights of the family to decide the fate of a loved one who is in a vegetative state, just as I believe someone with a terminal illness has the right to decide his/her own time to die. However, in the Schiavo case, the family wanted to keep her alive. It was the husband who didn't. The husband who originally sided with the parents, who eventually moved on with another woman and had children. A man who was with Terry when she slipped into the coma for still unknown reasons and then created a new family was the one to decide her fate. And to look at Terry, you saw a woman who was sitting up, eyes open, smiling. Too hard to believe she was brain dead. And, in that case as well as this one, there was no plug to pull. Hard to understand that someone with no brain activity could be breathing on her own that way. That's the issue I had with that whole case. It wasn't a right to die issue, it was an issue of who gets to decide.

Copy & paste. 9.0 is the same as your 5.1 post. Why? Are you going to bore all of us into a coma?

BR -

Then you should be sickened by Obamacare, because that is exactly how Obamacare would consider the 'resources' used to keep Edwarda alive.

Isn't that what we would deem "pro-choice"? Can you imagine being told you have none? People spend all kinds of money of really weird things, why be so one sided?

Tammy, that is just ridiculous. There is no difference between Obamacare and what the insurance companies have been doing for years. Do you really think it's the responsibility of insurance companies to cover the care of this woman who the family decided should be kept alive at all costs? I am all for choice, but the choice should be the family's and so should the responsilbilty. I would be stunned if it's shown that insurance covered any of this woman's costs for the last couple decades, and if they didn't then Obamacare would have made no difference whatsoever. Go back to wait what Rush has to say next so you can spew that too.

If the family gets to choose then the family should have the financial responsibility. If the taxpayers have to pay, then the taxpayers should decide who lives or dies. I don't want to take away the family's right to make the healthcare decision. But I also don't think taxpayers or even insurance should have to pay for that decision. I agree money shouldn't be the deciding factor. But money is always a factor for someone and I think it needs to be a factor for the one who is making the decision. I hate that a family may have to choose between keeping someone alive or sending another to college or going into debt. I also don't think we should pay if someone wants to continually rescusitate their 90 year old parent. But I also think an insurance company has an obligation to pay for treatment for a child who has cancer. So where do we draw the line? How do we decide which life is viable and which isn't.

For real. The slippery slope is here. Hope the others enjoy the slide.

Visitor: To be accurate, her sister believes she smiled. Since she was comatose and could not eat food, it is quite unlikely she had enough control over her facial muscles to actually smile.

I think the statement was" she looked right at her, smiled, then closed her eyes and passed away" That means she possibly came out of her coma right before she passed.

Better adjust your own comment then, because in this situation the family 'decided' that she should live.

Actually, if the family had not made the decision to keep her on the feeding tube (deciding that she lives), she would have left when it was her time long ago.

Where is heaven? In the 1800s we could just point and say, "up there." Then we went up there and couldn't find it. How does anyone know for certain what it's like? And is the unfortunate Ms. O'Bara still 59 and comatose in heaven? How do you know?

@Justme-123 These are people who never ask themselves whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves, or whether it shoud be ours here and now and on this earth.

I can appreciate that point of view and its a must in for adults today. However, this was a 16 year old (at the time) and I dont know any that have end of life wishes or living wills.

Really when they did the autopsy her brain was mush.Yeah and a HELL OF A WAY SHE DIED.when she was MURDERED! They STARVED HER TO DEATH! How nice!

Of course she had brain damage,so after all they had kill to her.Because the husband said so.Really intelligent,going on here say from this abuser!She herself said she was afraid of this man.Now why don't you and the rest of the know it alls who know crap chew on that for awhile!

Oh and by the way she did follow a ballon,and smile.There's film of it.I suppose you're going to distort that also.Bottom line! Nobody and I mean Nobody has a right to take anyone's life in the manner that she died,on here say from another individual,especially someone like this abusing clown!

Not unless they have it in WRITTING!They dopn't allow here say in court and it should not be allowed in cases,such as this one was.

GET A CLUE!

When the Terry Shiavo case was in the news, I was disgusted by it. I am all for having the right to die. I think Kavorkian is a hero. We end the suffering for our pets, but keep our loved ones alive at all costs, yet I am still upset at the Terry Shiavo case because to me it wasn't a right to die case. It was a case of who gets to decide. On one hand, we have the loving parents who still saw life in her. On the other, we have the husband who agreed for the first few months, then met a new woman had a few kids and suddenly remembered that Terry wouldn't want to be kept alive. That plus the fact that she slipped into a coma for unknown reasons after having an argument with the husband. It wouldn't even have been news for me if the parents had allowed her to die, but the circumstances were what angered me. It made me rethink who I would want to decide my fate should I end up in that state.

Momo, exactly. I have made that decision for both of my parents (declining insertion of a feeding tube), but my father had specifically stated he didn't want one in his advance directives, and my mother and I had discussed it so I was abiding by her wishes as well. I thank both of them for being clear in their wishes. But I can't imagine not ok' ing supportive measures for my 16 year-old child. And once you commit to that path, how do you uncommit, especially with brain activity?

california nurse. When acting as a healthcare proxy it's not about what you're comfortable with or what you want. Someone with durable power of attorney is supposed to act in the best interest of the incapacitated person they are representing. The healthcare proxy is supposed to make that decision based on what the patient would want if the patient was able to communicate. I cannot imagine any vibrant, active 16 year old wanting to be in a persistent vegetative state for 42 years.

I agree with California Nurse. This girl went into a diabetic coma. I never knew it was even possible to go into a diabetic coma and stay that way for 42 years. I am sure the family fully expected she would emerge from it at first, and then at what point do you say it's time to give up waiting? And as others have said, it isn't a matter of pulling a plug. It's a matter of willfully holding back the nutrients her body needed to survive. That's a choice I don't think I could make for my daughter either.

serenity--- this story is disturbing because despite the mother's "unconditional love", she was being selfish and only meeting her needs to keep this 'being' alive. She was incapable of discerning between quality of life as opposed to quantity. As long as this mother kept her alive, she didn't have to deal with her loss.

I find it disgusting. I said earlier, if someone did that to me, I'd be horrified. I'm glad my family already knows my wishes and would never leave me in a vegetative state. They understand my values regarding life: quality over quantity.

Annie, so then you would prefer to have your feeding tube removed and be allowed to starve to death? This would be a much crueler fate. The pain and suffering you would be in would be unbearable. People think pain killers will keep you from the torture - not true. When the pain becomes so bad, no amount of pain killer will ease the pain. This woman was not on life support. Life support means a ventilator. This woman could open her eyes and look at and smile at her relatives. When someone is in a coma, they can feel pain, they know their relatives are there and they know they are being cared for. As opposed to someone who is brain dead, they never open their eyes, they are in a vegetative state.

It's not that she's being selfish. It's more like... admiring Faith for its own sake is an expensive proposition. Love and responsibility are beautiful things but (excuse me for being crude here) it seems sad to waste them on a hopeless case. Given the Terri Schaivo autopsy, this woman probably had no brain at all. Terri's had atrophied to practically nothing within 12 years.

Given how badly the world needs love and responsibility, it's too bad that this woman wasn't honored for her life after ten years or so, unplugged, and then the rest of the energy expressed in a more constructive manner. The rest of the money which paid for her preservation could have been used to create a research fund (in her name) for preventing diabetic coma.

On the other hand, the family didn't do anything wrong, obviously. I'm admiring them and shaking my head at the waste at the same time.

@Disgustedmom- I would have preferred that, once my brain had atrophied beyond repair, the money was used for research. I've also signed up to donate my organs. Different strokes for different folks.

Please keep in mind that Annie rarely has anything positive or of value to post. People like her are exactly the reason everyone needs to have their wishes in writing regarding such matters...I fear that persons of her ilk would be all to quick to volunteer to pull the plug on the rest of us...regardless of what our wishes were.

@Siara Delyn, The difference in this case is that this young woman was NOT plugged into life support. She could breathe on her own. There was nothing to unplug. This case is similar to Karen Ann Quinlan who lapsed into a coma after taking drugs and alcohol. Her parents went to court to have her taken off life support so she could die in peace. They won, she was taken off life support and SURPRISE, breathed on her own. She continued to life for another 8 years. She awoke every morning, opened her eyes, smiled and could even turn her head when someone spoke to her. She had a feeding tube just like this woman. Taken off a ventilator is different, death comes in minutes. If a feed tube is removed, death could take as much as a month of agony.