Is a coma the same thing as being brain dead?
No. People in comas still have brain activity.
I wish I had been older at the time. No... a coma isn’t the same as being brain-dead... but the docs were telling my uncle that she was beyond hope and they felt they should cease the life-support.
No it is not. One who is in a coma can have brain activity. One who is brain dead will have no electrical evidence on testing. The brain ceases to function and without mechanical support by way of ventilator, the body will stop functioning as well. When the ventilator is turned off, there could still be a heart beat for a short time and other organs may function but it will stop, all functions and systems will shut down.