I worked in healthcare for about, crap, how long? 1977 to 1986. I've seen more than my share of people like Teri. The one case I remember most vividly was a young man, in his early thirties, married, who had a brain stem stroke. He was vegetative for months. After more than a year of not being responsive, his wife came in crying, telling him that she had met some one else. The illness had bankrupted them (long term care in a hospital, being on a vent for more than 6 months, etc. will do that to you). I went into the room after she left. Minutes later, the patient convulsed and sat up in bed. He could not talk, but he could cry. About a month later he was taken off the vent. He began to respond (not verbally), but he could squeeze your hand. He was shipped off to a nursing home, his heart strong, he's probably still there, being fed by some nurses aid with a spoon, wearing diapers, unable to speak but perhaps still able to cry.

I will never forget the pain I saw in that unresponsive man's eyes when his wife told him she was marrying some one else. Gives me the creeps to this day.

So, tell me, is he better off? I can't say that I know.