23 Years

Imagine being alive, but being unable to communicate with everyone around you. You can hear what people are saying as you are essentially fully conscious. But at the same time, you cannot move your body, you cannot talk or communicate in any way. Now imagine being in this position for 23 long years. This was the case for Rom Houben. According to an article by Kate Connolly, Houben suffered from a car wreck in 1983. The car crash caused him to become paralyzed. Doctors assumed that he was in a vegetative state. For 23 years Houben endured the suffering one might imagine with the inability to communicate while still being fully conscious. In 2006, a neurologist, Steven Laureys, decided to do some tests on Houben only to discover that the original diagnosis was incorrect, Houben was still conscious. I read this story online today at guardian.co.uk and couldn't believe it. I cannot even begin to comprehend the kind of torture he must have been through early on. Eventually Huoben was able to endure it by meditating, taking his mind out of his body and separating from the reality of it all. But to live 23 years in such a state is unbelievable. It is speculated that because of this story many may begin to take another look at those in comas and whether or not taking those suffering from such ailments ought to be taken off of life support. The question of concern is whether or not this is a single confined incident, or if it is possible that other cases, similar to this one, may exist. We cannot forsee what will become of such a case, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. (The URL for this story is as follows: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/man-trapped-coma-23-years)

Vocabulary

Apothecary: noun 1) A druggist; a pharmacist 2) A pharmacy or drugstore 3) A druggist licensed to prescribe medicine
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apothecary

Monetize: verb 1) To legalize money 2) To coin into money: to monetize gold 3) To give the character of money to 4) Economics: to convert (a debt, esp. national debt) into currency, esp. by issuing government securities or notes
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monetize