The story of Edwarda O'Bara, dubbed the "Sleeping Beauty of Florida" by journalists, is a poignant tale of a life interrupted by a coma that lasted 42 years. The American schoolgirl experienced a sudden decline in health, leading to her prolonged unconscious state.
In January 1970, 16-year-old Edwarda fell ill with pneumonia. She was also diagnosed with diabetes and was receiving insulin. On January 3, 1970, she convulsed and experienced severe pain and agony. As she was taken to the hospital, she reportedly told her mother, "Don't leave me."
Edwarda's mother and family fulfilled her wish, providing constant care at home. They fed her through a tube, massaged her, turned her every two hours to prevent bedsores, read to her, and talked to her.
Her father cared for her for six years, but then he had a heart attack and died in 1976. After that, her mother, Kaye O'Bara, took full care of her. In 2007, she told journalists that her daughter's treatment had cost American medics $200,000. The Catholic Online publication, which wrote about this, did not specify whether the family could pay off the debt.
Her mother died at 81 in 2008. After that, her sister, Colleen, began caring for Edwarda. Colleen cherished Edwarda, as reported by Unilad. The woman said that in the last seconds she saw the smile of a sister who had been in a coma for 42 years.
"The night I was caring for Edwarda, I noticed that she was looking directly at me and gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. Then she closed her eyes and joined my mother in heaven," Colleen told journalists.
Notably, Focus told the story of a man in a coma who came to his senses, but no one knew about it for eight years. ZME Science wrote about him. As it turned out, 12-year-old Martin lost consciousness and was in that state for the next 12 years. However, in an unconscious state, he spent only four years, and then was conscious, but could not communicate about it.
Lad Bible reported on a man who came to his senses after eight years in a coma. Writer Lauren Caday shared her life experience after death.