Edwarda O’Bara holds the Guinness record for longest coma, exceeding 42 years in a vegetative state (YouTube video capture)
The early morning of January 3, 1970, Edwarda O’Bara, A 16-year-old girl woke up with spasms and pain she had never felt before. Her mother, Kaye, watched with her heart on her chest, not understanding how her daughter, who until recently was only dealing with the ups and downs of juvenile diabetes, was now facing something much more serious. Panic swept through the O’Bara home in Miami, Florida, as Edwarda vomited the medications meant to stabilize her insulin levels.
Edwarda O’Bara’s story is a remarkable example of familial love and strength in the face of medical adversity (YouTube Video Capture)
It was the 22nd wedding anniversary of Kaye and Joe, her father. None of them could imagine that that date would mark the beginning of a battle that would last 42 years.
The hours in the hospital were hectic as doctors struggled to reverse the damage the combination of pneumonia and diabetes was doing to his body.
Sgeún detailed NBCBefore losing consciousness, Edwarda took her mother’s hand and whispered: “Promise me you will never leave me.” Kaye, terrified and unable to foresee the ordeal that was to come, responded without hesitation: “Of course not. I will never leave you, dear. I promise you”.
For more than four decades, Edwarda’s family dedicated their lives to her care, keeping a promise made in difficult times (YouTube Video Capture)
That promise It would seal a life of sacrifice and unconditional love. Edwarda fell into a diabetic coma that would leave her in a vegetative state for more than four decades. Doctors explained to the family that his brain had suffered irreversible damage due to lack of oxygen caused by the collapse of his lungs and kidney failure. Edwarda never woke up again.
However, his story did not end there. During those years, review CNN, She was cared for at home by her family, first by her parents and, later, by her sister Colleen. Kaye O’Bara He never abandoned the promise he made to his daughter in that hospital bed. He refused to institutionalize her and turned his home into a sanctuary.
Her husband, Joe, left his job to care for Edwarda, but the stress soon took its toll. In 1977, just six years after the onset of his daughter’s coma, Joe died of a heart attackbarely 50 years old. The emotional and financial burden was immense.
Edwarda O’Bara’s life became a symbol of resistance, marking a unique chapter in world medical records (YouTube Video Capture)
Kaye reorganized her life around Edwarda’s needs. For almost 40 years, I slept alone 90 minutes in a row to always be available for her daughter, who, unable to move on her own, required constant attention. Every two hours, the mother fed her through a tube with a homemade mixture that she carefully prepared. He also turned her body from time to time to avoid painful pressure ulcers, read books to her, played music and whispered words of encouragement in her motionless daughter’s ear.
As Kaye aged, his health deteriorated, but he never abandoned Edwarda. “God gives me the strength to take care of her,” he used to say.
This mother’s devotion did not go unnoticed. People from around the world, including celebrities like the former president Bill Clintonthe singer Neil Diamondand even the then governor Jeb Bushthey visited the O’Bara home to meet Edwarda, whom nicknamed the “Florida Sleeping Beauty”. Stories of supposed miracles occurring in her presence also spread, such as that of a woman who claimed to have been cured of a brain tumor after praying at her bedside.
The O’Baras’ devotion to Edwarda’s care attracted international attention, generating a community of support and solidarity (YouTube video capture)
In March 2008, Kaye died at age 80. His mother’s death was a devastating blow, but Colleen O’BaraEdwarda’s younger sister, took over without hesitation. Colleen left her job as a horse trainer to care for her sister, just as she had learned from her mother. “I didn’t even think twice. She is my sister, and I love her,” he told the Guinness World Records website.
During Edwarda’s last years, he adds CNN, Colleen remained steadfast in the task of keeping her sister alive. She fed her, braided her gray hair and bathed her, and also spoke to her daily, convinced that Edwarda, although she could not respond, was present in some way. Edwarda looked at her with her big eyes and understood her. Even, shortly before dying, she gave him one last smile, the biggest he had ever seen. Colleen remembers that moment with a mixture of pain and gratitude.
On November 21, 2012, Edwarda O’Bara passed away. Had 59 years old. His death closed one of the longest chapters in medical history: the longest coma ever recorded, according to the Guiness Book of Records, a case that continues to amaze doctors and researchers.
