‘Brain dead’ man trapped inside own body forced to listen to debate about turning his life support off
A 'brain dead' man could hear doctors discussing the option to withdraw his life support, before making a miraculous recovery.
Jacob Haendel, 35, had his life turned upside down within a matter of weeks after being diagnosed with an extreme form of locked-in syndrome.
The condition means that although a person is totally aware of what is going on, they cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis.
His symptoms started mild, with a change in his voice and losing his balance slightly.
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But Haendel took a trip to the hospital after swerving while driving his car.
Before long, he described seeing eight doctors in his room - a sign that there was something far more serious going on.
The chef from Boston, Massachusetts, was told that it would only be a matter of months before he lost the ability to walk and talk, and that the illness would eventually lead him to 'slip into a coma and die'.
It took just three months for him to become completely paralysed, and was diagnosed with stage four acute toxic progressive leukoencephalopathy.
Conversations surrounding his life support started to take place - but Haendel could hear every word.
Describing the out of body experience, he said: "It’s like being trapped - your brain is totally intact, but you can’t communicate with anyone.
"One time I overheard the nurses talking, and one of them said, ‘I have to tell you about this really awkward hookup I had last night!'
“It was the funniest thing I had heard in months, and I was almost laughing inside.
“But then one of them said, ‘Don’t worry about talking in front of him, he’s brain dead'."
He added: "They were discussing withdrawing life support. I was in so much pain, I was ready to go anyway.
"It was so strange and horrible."
The condition is caused by the inhalation of toxins, and no one has ever recovered from such a critical stage.
After spending 10 months in the paralysed state, doctors noticed one day that Haendel had slightly moved his wrist.
He recalled: "They told me to do it again, and that was my one shot, I focused everything I could on moving my wrist."
After realising that he could respond, they built up ways for him to communicate, such as blinking.
The first words he learned to spell out via this method was 'I love you' to his family.
After spending three months relearning basic functions, he has become the only known person to recover in such a way from stage four of the debilitating condition.
Haendel said: "I never imagined I’d recover like this.
"I’m still learning how to walk with a cane, and my voice isn’t what it used to be.
"It’s been a strange and traumatic period, it will take a long time to get over."
Mia Williams