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I read a book a quite a while ago, and have been searching for the title and can't find it.

A young woman in the Northeast had a brain event, I think it was an aneuyrsm.
She was presumed to be in a persistent vegetative state for years. Her family essentially abandoned her so no one was in trying to stimulate her. The nursing home was doing the typical flip and suck minimalist care.

She woke up, was fully awake and concious and nobody noticed, she was awake for about 6 years. Finally during a routine state ordered eval somebody noticed.

Ended up she typed a book on a laptop with a pencil in her mouth. She detailed the brutality and insensitivity of her nursing home care.

When I was precepting new nurses in ICU one of my demands was you always speak kindly and treat respectfully everyone, coma or not. You do not know the impact you are having on people. They may know your every word and touch.