Actress Natasha Richardson UPDATE has passed away after skiing accident

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Natasha Richardson's Publicist died a few months ago. She and Liam were very close friends with the older gentleman.
Neither had retained a new publicist when Natasha had her accident.
I think that because there is no official spokesperson, there is quite a lot of speculation, rumor-mongering, and mis-statement in the media among those quoted.

At her age, it would be extremely prudent to induce a prolonged medical coma, keep her on life support, provide surgical decompression of the brain, and to continuously monitor her ICP ( intracranial pressure).
I know some outcomes seem hopeless to most people. I am here to tell you that I have seen the worst of the worst closed head trauma, comatose persons with a ZERO chance of recovery defy the odds and regain consciousness, regain spontaneous respiratory effort, and with great strength of will and God's grace, walk out of the facility with their families.
It DOES happen.

Less is known about the healing inside the brain than any other body organ. Please- if you do not know the facts, read, learn, think and wait before you sign a legal document to remove life support from a young and previously healthy person. Give your loved one time at an excellent medical facility for neurology which aggressively treats head injuries early.

( I am posting this in all honesty as a person who will one day most likely personally benefit from a life-support maintained person's kidney or kidneys.)
 
SeekingJana- you are so right about head injuries. Some overcome great odds and some do not. A lot depends on the brain activity. If brain has no activity not sure if there is any chance for recovery. My son was in a coma over 4 months, doctors gave no hope, told us he would remain in a coma and never recover. He beat all odds but we were never told he was brain dead. Sometimes (and I have seen this) death is the best outcome.
 
I have had a a scene from the movie Love Actually where Liam Neeson played a greiveing husband left to raise a son on his own and was constantly calling his best friend played by Emma Thompson for support and to keep the heartbreak and anguish at bay.. the visual of that role and how closely its hitting home for him.. I pray that these is just a lot of speculation and not a lot of truth to the ongoing barrage of media info.. I pray for Natasha, Liam and their boys and their family and friends that she is able to recover. I keep telling my own how much he/she is loved and to never forget it. way too close in age and never worn a helmet all the times i have been skiing etc.. just such a freak accident. I do pray she can recover.. no child should loose a parent nor such a loving spouse.
 
For what this is worth - my husband had a blood clot following surgery 12 yrs ago. (He was 51 yrs old). The blood clot caused his brain to swell and he was placed on life support. The doctors & nurses fought valiantly to reverse the swelling but it failed to work. After 24 hrs in ICU we were advised to remove life support. We sat vigil with him until he took his final breath 30 hrs later. His heart was strong so it takes as long as it takes. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by the people my husband & I loved very much. News media needs to BACK OFF and give them the privacy they need with loved ones. My heart breaks for all of them.
 
hockeymom said:
Does anyone know if the hospital she is in specializes in head trauma?
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I've been trying to find out if she's in an acute care facility such as Cedars- Sinai but have been unable to do so thus far. I HOPE she is receiving expert care with every possible intervention for recovery potential considered.
 
our news just reported that she has in fact passed away.
 
SeekingJana said:
I've been trying to find out if she's in an acute care facility such as Cedars- Sinai but have been unable to do so thus far. I HOPE she is receiving expert care with every possible intervention for recovery potential considered.
Click to expand...

They say she is at Lenox Hospital in Ny. I find it hard to believe with their money and connections they would not be getting the utmost in care and the very best specialists. One of the reports mentions that Lenox is just a "holding ground" until all the family could get there and then they would let her go. I don't buy that. I'm a nobody and I would do everything possable and get the best specialists I could before I would give up. There must be a reason why she is at that paticular hospital.
 
LadyLuck said:
SeekingJana- you are so right about head injuries. Some overcome great odds and some do not. A lot depends on the brain activity. If brain has no activity not sure if there is any chance for recovery. My son was in a coma over 4 months, doctors gave no hope, told us he would remain in a coma and never recover. He beat all odds but we were never told he was brain dead. Sometimes (and I have seen this) death is the best outcome.
Click to expand...

I am so happy about your son. I have worked with families who were also told their family member's injuries were hopeless. Some of these people did recover, and sometimes to a very high degree of functioning.
A prudent and POSITIVELY focused neurosurgeon/ neuro team will not label a person " brain dead" unless a condition exists which is oviously inconsistent with life, such as when most of the brain tissue has been extruded from the brain in an open skull wound.
In closed head trauma, so much less is known to both the medical team andless is obvious to the family about what's going on inside.
It is impossible to make a prudent and irreversible decision until all efforts to repair and heal the brain have been performed, the other body systems have maintained full functional support and much time has passed.

The thing about the " no brain activity" is that EEGs and even PET scans can CHANGE from hour to hour or day to day. Consider-- the phenomenon of " cold water drowning" in which brain activity CAN be impossible to detect due to a reflexive, protective mechanism inside the brain. In many cases, resuscitation, rewarming and life support can save the person's life. Doctors only discovered the presence of this reflex in the late 20th century from observing the deep cold water diving and brain activity of dolphins.

Likewise, when the brain is " shocked' by severe trauma, the brain definitely does have a protective mechanism of " shutting down" activity to the point that tests will not detect measurable " brain waves'.
This does not mean that the person is always in a state of death, or that they are being kept alive in a hopeless situation.
Only rigorous, vigilent neurlogical intervention and maintenence of full support over a period of time will tell.

A medical coma using sedative drugs is used to KEEP the brain activity very low.
The fact that medical science recognizes the benefits of a medically induced prolonged state of low brain activity should change the often conflicting rush to discontinue life support ( mechanical ventllation) soon after an event involving head trauma.

Obviously, some families are unable to accept that the person may not fully return to what they were prior to the injury, and may have heard the person say that they would not want to live with memory loss, or any form of dependence on others.
It's very hard to know what to do, and I respect and feel great empathy for both the medical teams and the families who are faced with either a " treat and see" or " stop life support' decision.

Just because I would choose treatment for a young and otherwise heathy adult does not mean that it's the right decision for all. I guess that's why there's a choice in the matter to begin with.
 
What a terrible tragedy to befall such a young, vital woman. I keep thinking of her sons. All my love and prayers to her family.
 
So sad :( Thinking of her sons and her husband...my boy is 13 as well...I cannot even imagine him having to go through something like this. RIP Natasha.
 
I just saw this sad news. May she RIP. Such a young and vibrant woman.

Prayers of condolence and strength to her family.

Sincerely,
fran
 
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