Hey hon... pack your bags!
Injured man's awakening called 'miracle'
By Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY
PHOENIX — Eighteen days after his wife instructed doctors to disconnect food and water tubes, a Chandler, Ariz. man is sitting up in his hospice bed, giving the thumbs-up sign and communicating with visitors.
Jesse Ramirez Jr.'s awakening, which friends called "a miracle," occurred after his sister, parents and other relatives went to court and obtained an emergency order for feeding and hydration tubes to be reinserted, reversing a directive given by his wife, Rebecca Ramirez.
Judge Paul Katz announced the news Tuesday during a Maricopa County Superior Court hearing. Relatives had been in a three-week battle over the 36-year-old postal worker's fate, and who should control it. Ramirez suffered brain injuries in a May 30 automobile accident. He regained consciousness on Sunday.
"He is awake," confirmed Judith Morse, an attorney appointed by Katz to investigate legal, ethical and medical issues. "He is able to respond to verbal commands. He is aware of who he is and who his family members are." No further information about Ramirez's condition was available.
Morse also announced that Rebecca Ramirez and her in-laws had reached a settlement in the dispute over Ramirez's care. An independent guardian will be appointed to make medical decisions.
Rebecca Ramirez, 33, did not attend the hearing and could not be reached for comment.
Although the Ramirezes have three children and were married for nearly two decades, they separated several times over the years, and were quarreling at the time of the accident, according to police reports and court documents. Rebecca Ramirez told police her husband suspected her of being unfaithful and became enraged.
While driving their Toyota SUV, her statement to police said, he pounded on the windshield so hard she became afraid, opening the car door to escape. At that point, the car veered and rolled over. Ramirez sustained a broken neck and head trauma; his wife suffered minor injuries.
When Rebecca Ramirez ordered her husband's life support discontinued, Theresa and Jesse Ramirez Sr. pleaded with their daughter-in-law to change her mind, then questioned her motive for refusing.
Jesse Ramirez Jr.'s sister, Marlene Ramirez, filed the legal action. She and others involved in the court fight declined comment due to a gag order. But friends were jubilant. "He is absolutely and completely a miracle," said Stephanie Simpson, 34. Simpson and Melissa Garcia, 36, who worked at the post office with Ramirez for 13 years, wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words, "Faith Makes All Things Possible. Jesse, We Got Your Back."
The two women said they visited Ramirez on Monday evening. "He tried to mouth words," added Garcia. "He communicated with thumbs up … and hugs and kisses."
Yep, 6 days on life support before she asked to have the plug pulled. Nice.
