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Over the last two months Rifat's family have spent £20,000 in hospital bills, ventilation and medicines to keep her father alive. The family is now moving him home mostly for financial reasons. Rifat worries about her mother.
Rifat is a PhD researcher at the University of York. Her father, aged 70 and living in Bangladesh, suffered a cardiac arrest. He remains alive 9 weeks later, in a...
Theo's life was going well, and he had just set up his own hair-dressing business when, in 2005, at the age of 34, he was severely injured in a car accident. He emerged from a coma after a few weeks and appeared minimally aware, he has gone on to make some significant recovery in spite of doctors grim predictions. Nine years after the accident he is now looked after at home, by his family and a team of professional carers.
Peter and Andrew are the older brothers of Theo. Olga is Peter’s wife, Theo’s sister-law. Peter previously worked as a DJ, but now both he and Olga concentrate on looking...
In 2008, at the age of 53, David's mother had a brain haemorrhage and never regained consciousness. She was eventually diagnosed as being in a permanent vegetative state. In 2013 the Court of Protection declared that it was lawful and in her best interests to have artificial nutrition and hydration withdrawn. She died later that year.
David (aged 35) is the patient’s son and Olivia (aged 36) is David’s wife. They were the main family carers after David’s mother had a brain haemorrhage. David is self-employed...
Emma's seventy year old mother had a stroke, followed by a brain bleed. The intensive care consultant said there was nothing that could be done for her mother, but Emma could not accept this. A decision was made to insert a feeding tube and Emma's mother survived another three years without ever regaining consciousness.
Emma is married with two young adult children.
In 2013 Phil's 46yr old partner, Lewis, had a brain haemorrhage leaving him in a minimally conscious state.
Phil is 43 years old. He worked as an investment consultant and has been with his partner Lewis for 16 years. Lewis was an IT project manager before being made...
In 2010, Fern was about to give birth to their first child, when her partner had a cardiac arrest that left him severely brain injured. He was only 28 years old. Fern fought hard to ensure he would get every intervention and have a chance to recover. However, she has now thinks continuing to subject him to life-prolonging interventions is cruel and pointless.
Fern is the mother of one daughter.
On 10th March 2011 Mark's brother was hit by a car while cycling. Three years later, Mark and Helen have not yet been given a definitive diagnosis or prognosis but are hopeful that he may still recover sufficiently to a life that he would consider worth living. Mark is not sure whether or not, or to what extent, his brother is aware of himself or his surroundings, or whether he will ever become so, but in the meantime he is trying to ensure that his brother gets the best possible medical care.
Mark, aged 56, and Helen, aged 54, are a married couple. Mark is an arts centre manager and Helen works in retail.
In 2007 when he was 42, Nik's father fell down some steps and hit his head. He has been apparently completely unconscious ever since and Nik does not believe he would want to live like this. Some years earlier he had suffered a brain haemorrhage and a stroke, following which he had been left with left-side paralysis and memory difficulties, but able to live independently. Nik and her father were extremely close and after that incident he told Nik that if he had another stroke and lost the ability to be independent, he would not want to be kept alive.
Nik is a single mother of one child, and is a care worker.
In 2005, at the age of 17, Verity's son was involved in a near fatal car accident that caused him severe traumatic head injuries. After a long period of unconsciousness he eventually showed signs of awareness but his prognosis was not good. Nine years after the accident her son is still alive, living a life without dignity.
Verity is a mother of three sons who worked as a successful business-woman. She is now unemployed due to ill health.
Helen is 57, she had one daughter and twin sons. In 2006, her sixteen-year old twin-sons were involved in a car crash which left one, Christopher, in a coma. He was placed on a ventilator and underwent a craniotomy. Helen was told within days that he was very unlikely ever to recover. The consultant who operated on him commented: we threw everything at him, including the kitchen sink, maybe we shouldn't have.
In 2006, at the age of 16, Helen’s son, Christopher, was severely injured in a car accident. He was eventually diagnosed as being in a permanent vegetative state and died...
