December 3, 1934 - November 25, 1978: Age 43
Elaine Esposito was 6 years old when she was anesthetized for a routine appendectomy in 1941. Somehow her brain was damaged at the time of the operation. Some doctors felt she had incipient encephalitis at the time of the operation; others felt that she had not received enough oxygen during the operation.
Whatever the cause, she never regained consciousness, but lived on in a coma for 37 years. During this time she was sometimes deeply asleep, and at other times in a state of open-eyed unconsciousness. She died finally at the age of 43 in 1978.
Sources: Wikipedia, Ethics of Withdrawal of Life Support Systems
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7 comments:
What hospital or center was Elaine Esposito at?
I don't know what hospital she was at, but her original operation was in Chicago.
Hey, I just wondered if there was anything you knew about Elaine Esposito's childhood before she went into the coma.
The only additional pieces of information I have been able to find are that her dad's name was Louis, and the family lived in Florida.
Her death is bittersweet. It was a blessing. Her passing is on the very day our family friend and/or churchmates got married in Colorado.
Her passing is a blessing and is bittersweet.
Her passing is really bittersweet. Her death came 27 years to the day before the County Mall fire in Moffat County!
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