'Miracle Man' Starts Breathing on Own After Declared Nearly Brain Dead & Taken Off Life Support
An Omaha father has been dubbed the “miracle man,” unexpectedly recovering after being declared nearly brain dead and taken off life support.
The past month has been a rollercoaster of emotions for T. Scott Marr and his family, but the ordeal has given Marr a renewed faith in God and brought his family even closer together.
It all started on Dec. 12, 2018, when Marr’s family couldn’t get ahold of him.
Marr’s son, Drew, broke into his father’s house and found Marr in his bed, breathing but unresponsive.
At the hospital, Marr’s four children were given devastating news: Their father had suffered a massive brain stem stroke with severe brain swelling.
“The neurosurgeon said if there was anything he could do, he would do it, but that we needed to prepare ourselves for the reality of the situation,” Marr’s daughter, Preston Marr, told KETV.
The next day, Marr showed no signs of improvement. That night, Marr’s children made the heart-wrenching decision to take their father off life support.
“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,” Preston Marr said.
When the ventilator was removed, Marr continued to breathe on his own.
“My brother Drew said, ‘Maybe Dad’s waiting for us to go home,'” Preston Marr said. “He had always said, ‘I never want you guys to see me lying in a hospital bed, lying in a nursing home,’ and so we all went home that night.”
The next day, the Marr children were supposed to meet with a funeral home, but they went to the hospital first to visit their dad.
Preston walked into the room and said, “Hi, Dad.”
Her father responded with a slight smile.
Preston, who works as a nurse, figured his smile was just a reflex. She watched in disbelief as her dad moved his fingers and toes at her prompting.
“I literally had to rub my eyes to make sure it was actually happening,” Preston said.
It was the beginning of Marr’s incredible recovery.
Doctors were shocked and delighted at Marr’s sudden improvement, ultimately diagnosing Marr’s suffering as a rare condition called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.
“It’s commonly caused by high blood pressure, but there are many things that can cause it,” Dr. Rebecca Runge told the Lincoln Journal Star.
“The severe swelling Marr experienced is not typical of the syndrome, she said, which is why a devastating stroke was the initial diagnosis.”
Marr said the ordeal has left him with a renewed faith in God.
“I’m not an extremely religious person,” Marr said. “I don’t go to church every Sunday. Matter of fact, I haven’t been in years, but I do believe in God, and I know that for (a) fact.”
“I believe with all my heart, and now this is just proof for me that everything I’ve been told about him is true,” he continued. “I don’t want to make this into a huge religious thing but I’ll tell you what, it was pretty much a miracle.”
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