My Friendly Neighborhood Bug-Eyed Evangelicals

Miracle Girl: My Friendly Neighborhood Bug-Eyed Evangelicals

Bias works both ways. I had never gotten to know evangelicals personally before. And they had likely never befriended an atheist.

We all learned that the other wasn't "The Other."

The Godless Meets the God-Fearing

Miracle Girl: The Godless Meets the God-Fearing

Fundamentalists might as well have been bug-eyed monsters to me until my evangelical friends lent me their support during my recovery.

Happy Coma Day!

Miracle Girl: Happy Coma Day!

Today is the third anniversary of my awakening, an event Keith has dubbed Coma Day. It awoke from a weird coma-dream into an almost as strange reality.

My doctors told my loved ones to give up all hope for my recovery, that I was profoundly brain-damaged and would never be the same. They were wrong.

I spent the rest of the day proving it.

My Life Was but a Coma-Dream

Miracle Girl: My Life Was but a Coma-Dream

As readers of Coma Chameleon know, I awoke from my bizarre and absurd coma-dream into a reality almost as unbelievable.

Tennis Anyone?--Communicating with the Vegetative

Miracle Girl: Tennis Anyone?--Communicating with the Vegetative

While the Owen Lab is still in the process of making covert cognition detection widely available, they have already produced tangible benefits for a few seemingly vegetative patients...and their families.

In the case of Jeff Tremblay, the results have been quite moving.

"Hello, I'm in Here!"--Giving Voice to the Voiceless

Miracle Girl: "Hello, I'm in Here!"--Giving Voice to the Voiceless

I was cold; Kate Bainbridge was thirsty. Our discomfort was ignored because our caregivers though we were vegetables, unable to feel pain. That may soon end if the Owen Lab's covert awareness detection research continues to pay off.

Not only would covert cognition be less covert if they succeed, patients who will never recover as well as Kate and I have may someday have a say in their own treatment.

Celebrating Another Year of Consciousness

This is my brain on strokes.

Miracle Girl: Celebrating Another Year of Consciousness

Finally, Miracle Girl and Coma Chameleon blogs come together, as I begin a series of posts about covert cognition in celebration of my awakening, otherwise known as Coma Day.

As one of the few among the one in five vegetative patients with covert awareness to experience a full recovery, I feel a special obligation to speak out for those who cannot.

Trump am Bizarro Candidate

Miracle Girl: Trump am Bizarro Candidate

Bizarro couldn't help himself. He was an imperfect duplicate of Superman forced by Bizarro logic to do everything opposite.

Good is bad in the Bizarro World. By Bizarro logic, then, Donald Trump is doing good.

Is There a Future for Trumpagoguery?

Miracle Girl: Is There a Future for Trumpagoguery?

It's looking more and more likely that we don't have to worry about Donald Trump winning the presidential election. But could his campaign be laying the ground for a future, more electable demagogue?

Dismembering Lady Liberty

Miracle Girl: Dismembering Lady Liberty

Every four years, both major parties claim this is the most important election in our lifetimes. And almost every time, of course, it isn't.

This year is different. The very character of our nation really is at stake.

Man the Lifeboats--It's Every Republican for Themselves!

Miracle Girl: Man the Lifeboats--It's Every Republican for Themselves!

It would be amusing if the fate of our country--and perhaps our democracy--weren't at stake. I've read many articles in the last few days about Republicans trying to build themselves life rafts before the November elections.

You know things are bad when your own running mate is distancing himself from you.

They Made Their Bed but Let Them Regret It

Miracle Girl: They Made Their Bed but Let Them Regret It

I meant to say this in Sympathy for the Devil, er, Republicans, but forgot to add these sentiments by the time I finished breakfast. But the comments that poured in reminded me that I needed to point out that the Republicans did bring the current state of their party on themselves.

Still, that doesn't change my feelings of sympathy for some now breaking ties to the party that they love. And it doesn't negate the necessity of having a healthy opposition party.

Not that they've been a healthy opposition.

Sympathy for the Devil, er, Republicans

Miracle Girl: Sympathy for the Devil, er, Republicans

I’d like to gloat, but I’m not only feeling sad for the formerly Grand Old Party. In the process, of razing the Republican Party, Donald Trump is degrading the country and our political process as a whole.

But judging from most of my comments, few Democrats are joining me in this sympathy.