Kids End Life Support for Dad 'On His Way to Brain Death,' Then He Starts Wiggling His Toes
A man who suffered what doctors thought was a stroke was taken off life support by his family but survived anyway, leading doctors to determine that they had misdiagnosed his condition.
Doctors had diagnosed Nebraska man Scott Marr with a stroke on Dec. 12, The Associated Press reported Friday.
Medics took Marr to Methodist Hospital in Omaha after he was found lying unresponsive in his bed.
Marr was placed in intensive care and put on a breathing machine. Doctors examined Marr and found significant brain swelling.
“They told us he was on his way to brain death, so we said our goodbyes before extubating him, all the monitors were shut off and we waited by his side,” Marr’s daughter, Preston Marr, told The AP.
Doctors told Preston Marr and the rest of Scott Marr’s family that his condition was not reversible and would progress to brain death.
Scott Marr had told his daughter and family that he did not want them “to see me lying in a hospital bed, lying in a nursing home,” Preston Marr told The AP.
Following the doctors’ prognosis that Scott Marr would likely succumb to brain death, his family decided to remove the life support assisting Marr.
Despite removing the life aid, however, Marr continued to breathe.
“I asked him to move his thumbs, and he slowly moved his thumbs, and I asked him to wiggle his toes, and he wiggled all his toes really slightly,” Preston Marr said.
Doctors performed additional tests after Scott Marr continued breathing and was able to move his extremities, displaying abilities that do not manifest in cases of brain death.
Scott Marr was later diagnosed with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.
Brain swelling is not typically associated with the syndrome, according to The AP.
Scott Marr called his recovering “a miracle,” The AP reported.
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