Trapped between life and death

People in a vegetative state seem unresponsive, but we can now communicate with them

Life and death
(Image credit: (Thinkstock))

IMAGINE YOU WAKE UP, locked inside a box," says Adrian Owen, a neurologist at the University of Western Ontario. "It's only just big enough to hold your body but sufficiently small that you can't move. It's a perfect fit, down to every last one of your fingers and toes. It's a strange box because you can listen to absolutely everything going on around you, yet your voice cannot be heard. In fact, the box fits so tightly around your face and lips that you can't speak, or make a noise. Although you can see everything going on around the box, the world outside is oblivious to what's going on inside.

"Inside, there's plenty of time to think. At first, this feels like a game, even one that is strangely amusing. Then, reality sets in. You're trapped. You see and hear your family lamenting your fate. Over the years, the carers forget to turn on the TV. You're too cold. Then you're too hot. You're always thirsty. The visits of your friends and family dwindle. Your partner moves on. And there's nothing you can do about it."

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