My "miraculous" recovery from a 6-week coma through a skeptical and humanist lens, written by a writer published by Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry. When I awoke, I could barely raise my head, and it has been a hard road back. I also aim to educate the public about covert cognition. Too many people who are still conscious are being dismissed as hopeless vegetables, as I was. As many as one in five people with consciousness disorders have covert cognition. For them, there is still hope.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Interview with the vampire...er, ex-night owl
Today, Simon Davis, a fellow skeptic who writes the Post Mortem column for VICE interviewed me about my coma experience and my Skeptical Inquirer article, "Covert Cognition: My So-Called Near-Death Experience." His column focuses on death-related subjects. I did nearly die, after all. I've often joked that I came about as close to dying as you can get without actually dying. Plus, I did have a near-death experience, a subject that came up repeatedly in our conversation. Another topic that came up frequently was my coma-dream. I know that's a subject that often fascinates people. It would me, too, if it hadn't happened to me.
I thought I would be nervous, but apart from my usual ADHD-related nervous energy, I was fine. In fact, it was a lot of fun. Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?
It will be interesting to read his interview when it comes out. He's requested that I send him some photos, and I've sent him the first batch--the few pics taken while I was in the coma, plus the photo of me beside the graffiti that read, HOPE. I have to go through more so Simon's editor can pick the best.
And speaking of hope, I hope he mentions the plight of patients like me who are covertly aware, but are dismissed as hopeless vegetables. Somebody has to speak for them, because they certainly can't. The closest any have come was when they were lucky enough to be included in a covert cognition study. Scott Routley was asked by Dr. Adrian Owen if he was in pain. He answered no, using Dr. Owen's tennis/navigating familiar locations technique. Sadly, Scott died without ever regaining full consciousness. But before that, he gave hope that similar patients will someday be able to participate in their own care.
And I'm glad to know he wasn't in pain.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Contact me!
Coma Girl

About Me
Not a miracle recovery, but a miracle of modern medicine
In 2013 I fell into a six-week coma and nearly died after I contracted legionella. The Legionnaire's disease was in turn triggered by immunosuppression caused by the prednisone I was taking for my rare autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis.
I suffered a series of strokes on both sides of my brain when the sepsis caused my blood pressure to plummet. I fell into a deep coma. My kidneys and lungs began to fail, as my body was began dying one organ at a time. My doctors told my loved ones to give up hope for my full recovery. They expected me to die, and even if I somehow lived, I would remain a vegetable or at best left so hopelessly brain-damaged that I would never be same. But unbeknownst to them, while they were shining lights in my eyes and shaking their heads, I was telling them in my coma-dream--my secular version of a near-death experience--to leave me alone because I was trying to get back to sleep. I was experiencing what is known as covert cognition, the subject of my Skeptical Inquirer article "Covert Cognition: My So-Called Near-Death Experience," which appeared in their July/August issue.
But it wasn't a miracle--despite what so many continue to believe--that I recovered so fully. I owe my life not to God, but the miracles of modern medicine, as well as the nature of the watershed-area brain damage I suffered, as I detailed in my article and in this blog.
Songs with owl in the lyrics are only allowed if that word is in the song's name as well. ... According to an interview with Rolling Stone, McLachlan had been receiving ... Scary Night: Free printable Easy Halloween Piano Sheet Music to download...
ReplyDeletevisit here
Retail Store Credit Card Activation Credit Card Service Card Activation
ReplyDeleteYour opinion is very important and valuable. If you complete: HCA HR Answers Online Portal
ReplyDeleteBob Evans Customer Survey is the quick time survey that allows the customers to share the feedback about what they have experienced at the stores.
ReplyDeleteTake Bob Evans Survey
If you are searching for Key Bank Debit Card Activation then you are at right place. This post will be helpful you for Activate Key Bank Debit Card
ReplyDeleteKey Bank Card Activation
The Papa Johns Customer Satisfaction Survey will present the company’s management a chance to get to know their customers better and build lasting, personal relations with them.
ReplyDeletePapa Johns Survey
To know how customers feel about products and services, Papa Murphy is conducting a guest survey under the name of Papa Survey (Papa Murphy’s Survey).
ReplyDeletePapa Murphy Survey
Great article with good information also check out these articles
ReplyDeletepanda express survey
Homedepot com survey
https://bayanlarsitesi.com/
ReplyDeleteYenibosna
Anadolu Kavağı
İçerenköy
Yeşilköy
TODC
Ağrı
ReplyDeleteDiyarbakır
Bolu
Elazığ
Siirt
K4N3
Van
ReplyDeleteizmir
Artvin
Tunceli
Eskişehir
VGZO
Adıyaman Lojistik
ReplyDeleteTrabzon Lojistik
Muğla Lojistik
Bayburt Lojistik
Bayburt Lojistik
13C
B5410
ReplyDeleteDiyarbakır Evden Eve Nakliyat
Aksaray Parça Eşya Taşıma
Bilecik Parça Eşya Taşıma
Muğla Evden Eve Nakliyat
Artvin Parça Eşya Taşıma
38183
ReplyDeleteAğrı Parça Eşya Taşıma
Ünye Asma Tavan
Ordu Parça Eşya Taşıma
Urfa Parça Eşya Taşıma
Antalya Şehir İçi Nakliyat
Sakarya Şehirler Arası Nakliyat
Referans Kimliği Nedir
Binance Güvenilir mi
Şırnak Lojistik
341BD
ReplyDeleteBinance Referans Kodu
Coin Nasıl Üretilir
Mefa Coin Hangi Borsada
Binance Referans Kodu
Chat Gpt Coin Hangi Borsada
Azero Coin Hangi Borsada
Area Coin Hangi Borsada
Binance Komisyon Ne Kadar
Binance Referans Kodu
54666
ReplyDeleteledger live
eigenlayer
zkswap
poocoin
defilama
trust wallet
safepal
satoshi
solflare
D0A57
ReplyDeletereferans kimliği nedir
bitcoin nasıl kazanılır
toptan mum
huobi
gate io
okex
papaya meyvesi
referans kimliği
telegram en iyi kripto grupları
F89FC
ReplyDeletekızlarla canlı sohbet
kucoin
kucoin
kripto para kanalları telegram
referans kimliği
filtre kağıdı
türk kripto telegram grupları
binance referans
okex
A72E7
ReplyDeleteücretli show
F4CE1
ReplyDeletesanal ücretli show
1CD70
ReplyDeleteücretli sanal şov
EFF68F018D
ReplyDeletegörüntülü sex
cam şov
sohbet hattı
görüntülü show
sanal seks
cam show
sanal sex
sohbet hattı
seks hattı
FB18381C88
ReplyDeletecam show
sohbet hatti
görüntülü şov
seks hattı
sohbet hatti
görüntülü seks
sanal seks
görüntülü sex
sanal sex
5E74EA1E50
ReplyDeletegörüntülü şov
şov
telegram show
whatsapp görüntülü şov
whatsapp ücretli show
telegram görüntülü şov
canli web cam show
canli cam show
cam show
BE0EC785B7
ReplyDeletecobra vega
canli cam show
viagra
telegram görüntülü şov
ereksiyon hapı
bufalo çikolata
canli web cam show
sertleştirici
sinegra 100 mg