# Martial Artist Trapped for 23 years inside his own mind



## Bill Mattocks (Nov 23, 2009)

My wife said it reminded her of the old novel _"Johnny Got His Gun,"_ only for real.  I never read that novel, now I'll have to.  What a thing this poor man has gone through!  I can't imagine how he came through it and remained sane.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/man-trapped-coma-23-years



> Car crash victim trapped in 'coma' for 23 years was conscious
> 
> Paralysed patient could not move or communicate with doctors until Belgian neurologist tested new brain scanner
> For 23 years Rom Houben was trapped in his own body, unable to communicate with his doctors or family. They presumed he was in a vegetative state following a near-fatal car crash in 1983.
> ...


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## Omar B (Nov 23, 2009)

Sad story.  Also, you should read _Johnny Got His Gun_, it's a pretty brutal read.  Metallica's _One_ is based upon it, and is a pretty good translation of what he was going through.


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## terryl965 (Nov 23, 2009)

I hope he can fully recover after everything.


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## Archangel M (Nov 23, 2009)

Put's a whole new spin on the "dignified death" argument.


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## shesulsa (Nov 23, 2009)

Upon reading this, I was forced to recall the case of Terry, the case we debated here before, who was brain damaged - though her brain was (as reported by the press) discovered to be small.

Hm.


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## Archangel M (Nov 23, 2009)

I suppose the issue of if the person *want's* to live in that state remains. But it muddies the waters regarding if it's morally right to "unplug" a conscious, but immobilized human being.


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## Bruno@MT (Nov 24, 2009)

Archangel M said:


> I suppose the issue of if the person *want's* to live in that state remains. But it muddies the waters regarding if it's morally right to "unplug" a conscious, but immobilized human being.



I think a lot depends on the person itself.

A friend of mine happened to be present when his grandfather had a stroke. The last thing he said was. Remember! I want you to pull the plug! (Of course, he said the equivalent in Dutch). And it was indeed the last thing he ever said.


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## CoryKS (Nov 24, 2009)

Bruno@MT said:


> I think a lot depends on the person itself.
> 
> A friend of mine happened to be present when his grandfather had a stroke. The last thing he said was. Remember! I want you to pull the plug! (Of course, he said the equivalent in Dutch). And it was indeed the last thing he ever said.


 
Agreed, it depends on the person and also on the situation.   You make the decision ahead of time because of fear of the unknown or what you believe the situation to be.  Suppose you end up in a situation like this and find yourself thinking, "Hey, you know this really isn't so ba-"________

Another story this reminded me of was "The Jaunt" by Stephen King.  Anyone read it?  Brrrr.


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## Andrew Green (Nov 24, 2009)

Here is a video:

http://www.vgtv.no/?id=27372

There seems to be a bit of a concensus that while he is showing some response, they are stretching on some things.  The part where he is typing for example, he doesn't seem to be doing anything, his facilitator is holding his hand and doing it.


> The "facilitated communication" process consists of the "facilitator" actually holding the hand of the subject over the keyboard, moving the hand to the key, then drawing the hand back from the keyboard! This very intimate participatory action lends itself very easily to transferring the intended information to the computer screen. In the video you have just viewed, it is very evident that (a) the "facilitator" is looking directly at the keyboard and the screen, and (b) is moving the subject's hand. The video editing is also biased, giving angles that line up the head of the subject with the screen, as if the subject were watching the screen.
> This man in the msnbc.com piece is not seeing the screen. He is not aware of what is going on. He is an unknowing victim of these charlatans. A simple test - such as that done on October 19th, 1993, in a Frontline (PBS) documentary highlighting these concerns, "Prisoners of Silence," would prove that FC is a total fraud. This powerful and comprehensive program proved that FC was a delusion.



http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/783-this-cruel-farce-has-to-stop.html


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## Archangel M (Nov 24, 2009)

Hmmm sounds like Ouija.

Although it sounds like there is evidence via brain activity that he is "conscious"...its the content of these messages that is in question.


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## Jade Tigress (Nov 25, 2009)

I read about this on CNN but the article didn't mention he was a martial artist. In any case, what a nightmare. I recently watched the movie "Awake" about a man who remained conscious during a heart transplant. I have heard of this phenomenon as well. That of people who are under anesthesia but still have full consciousness. Horrifying.


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## Sukerkin (Nov 25, 2009)

There has recently been developed a pretty sure fire way of determining consciousness in coma/vegetative/non-responisve state.  Whilst in a scanner, the patient is asked to pretend they are playing tennis.  Apparently there is a section of the brain that 'lights up' under those conditions.


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## shesulsa (Nov 25, 2009)

The guy uses something called "facilitated communication" which is largely questionable in its history.  I'd have to see a bit more of the facilitation before I felt that his communications were genuine.


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