4 comments

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  • Hi-- I ran across this page almost by accident while research ing a book I'm writing. I am fascinated by your story but cannot seem to find any additional media reports to verify its accuracy. Would it be possible to contact you somehow? I would like to possibly relate Christina's story in my book. Not sure how to do this privately--don't want to put my phone number or email on a publicly available website, and I'm sure you probably don't either. Any ideas about the best way for us to communicate?

  • said foleye1

  • 2008.08.29 at 13:24:51 PDT

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  • What a horror story Its so sad these doctors take an oath for life .It's hard to believe they would do something so horrendous to someone.Might be they were in wit the drug companies for a big payoff hmmmm.Nothing ceases to amaze me anymore how humans treat others.What a beautiful ending to such a bad story.You have a beautiful daughter .what a blessing she can be with you and share your dogs . God bless Debbie kelly

  • said sewgal423

  • 2008.04.23 at 09:15:44 PDT

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  • Written by Judy Thornsberry On July 15, 2004, Christina Nichole went into a coma following a one-time hypoglycemic episode. All of her organs went into failure and they told us that her brain was gravely deprived of oxygen. She was put on full life-support and declared globally brain damaged and brain dead except for a tiny spotty portion of the bottom of her brain stem. She developed Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia, blood sepsis, Staph, and other life-threatening infections. Her prognosis was "NIL chance of recovery". On the sixth day her father and I were asked to allow them to turn off her life support machines. By this time she had somehow overcome the organ failures, ARDS, pneumonia, sepsis, and infections so we also had to consider organ donation from our 32 year old daughter's body. Her doctors told us that if we did not allow her to be 'let go' (killed from reduction/withdrawal of life support care) we would destine her to live the rest of her life in a persistent vegetative state with no 'quality of life'. Christina had responded to me for the first time that same morning by blinking her eyes ever so slightly on my command, so we did not believe their objective tests. We requested absolute proof of their diagnosis and prognosis with testing that we felt was the minimum of routine procedures in cases like this, an EEG, Cat Scan, and MRI. Our requests were flatly denied on the grounds that no further testing was warranted because her doctors 'already knew' what the tests would show them; that she was 'gone' and would never come back. They were wrong! We learned two years later that they had actually performed a Cat Scan that showed NORMAL results. Why did they refuse to tell us about the test and why did they continue to insist that we sign the euthanization papers, always telling us she was already dead? They LIED to us, over and over again, in masse. They were angry with us but we stood our ground... praise God! Judy

  • said PeekabooPekingeseS...

  • 2008.01.28 at 21:28:38 PST

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  • (FROM CHRISTINA) I went into a coma caused by low blood sugar of -10 due to the drug Zyprexa, which I had been prescribed for 13 months prior to my coma for migraine headaches. The team of doctors declared me brain dead and wanted my parents to allow them to turn off my life support machines. My parents fought them and stood their ground to force them to keep my machines on. On the 10th day of my coma I squeezed the doctor's hand in front of witnesses and they could no longer say that I was brain dead. I had been squeezing my parent's hands, blinking my eyes, and crying all along before then, but the doctors said it was only primitive reflexes and did not mean anything. Through attorney obtained copies of my medical records we have learned that the doctors had performed tests that revealed that my brain was normal, with no brain damage at all, and absolutely no signs of brain death. They lied to my parents and kept the test and results from them, even though they were demanding the tests be done and were told no each time... because the doctors said they were not needed since they already knew that they would show that I was brain dead. If my parents had not fought to keep me alive, the doctors would have asked 'ever so sympathetically' that they be allowed to harvest my organs and other body parts before killing my body. Organ harvesting is best when the body is still alive, even though the body dies during the harvesting or the patient is finally allowed to stop breathing when they turn the machine off. There is no anethesia provided because the patient is supposedly unable to think about pain since their brain is dead. My brain was never dead and I was aware of what was going on around me. I felt the pain of their 'primitive' tests, such as pouring ice water into my ear drums, poking my eyes, and pushing their knuckles between my breast bones with severe pressure. I heard them arguing with my parents, and their plans to kill me...

  • said PeekabooPekingeseS...

  • 2008.01.28 at 21:26:49 PST

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