Brain-Damaged Woman Talks After 20 Years
“HUTCHINSON, Kan. – For 20 years, Sarah Scantlin has been mostly oblivious to the world around her — the victim of a drunken driver who struck her down as she walked to her car. Today, after a remarkable recovery, she can talk again.
Scantlin’s father knows she will never fully recover, but her newfound ability to speak and her returning memories have given him his daughter back. For years, she could only blink her eyes — one blink for “no,” two blinks for “yes” — to respond to questions that no one knew for sure she understood.
“I am astonished how primal communication is. It is a key element of humanity,” Jim Scantlin said, blinking back tears.
Sarah Scantlin was an 18-year-old college freshman on Sept. 22, 1984, when she was hit by a drunk driver as she walked to her car after celebrating with friends at a teen club. That week, she had been hired at an upscale clothing store and won a spot on the drill team at Hutchinson Community College.
After two decades of silence, she began talking last month. Doctors are not sure why. “
Can you imagine what it must be like to be unable to communicate, to be locked inside your own head with little to no way to tell the world that you are alive.
Jack's Shack February 14, 2005 at 5:42 pm
I did read the book, it was good. I remember it well.
The pop up comments seem to be working well. Overall I have been happy with it.
mquest February 14, 2005 at 4:12 pm
Have you read
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo? It is a inside narrative of someone that has lost all body function except his mind after being wounded in a war. I read it in seventh grade and was blown away by it. Much latter Matalica wrote a song about it and it became a rather popular book. I saw it the other day on the must read table at my local bookstore.
How is the Blogger pop up commenting system working for you? I have seen that several people have moved over to it– Have you found any advantages to it?