NY woman dies after 21 years in coma
(AP) NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- The stepfather of a woman who spent 21 years in a coma after being beaten by her husband said he knows she would have died years earlier had it not been for the family's care of her at home.
Bernadette Jones, 51, of Niagara Falls, died Sunday of pneumonia at her family's home, The Buffalo News reported. As her stepfather, Robert Anderson Jr., and other relatives prepared for her funeral Friday, Anderson recalled how family and friends came together when the mother of three was released from the hospital eight months after the attack.
Jones could breathe on her own but needed a feeding tube. She never woke up, although family members said she would eventually open her left eye and move her arms as they cared for her, played music and read from the Bible. Early on, her three children would climb into bed with her and sleep.
"We know she would have expired a long time ago if she had not come home to live with us," said Robert Anderson, a City Council member. "We know she's gone home to God and to her mother and wow, that's a plus."
Jones was beaten by her husband, Patrick Guiteau, on April 14, 1991. Guiteau, 58, was convicted of first-degree assault and sentenced in November 1992 to 10 to 15 years in prison. State prison records show he was released to immigration officials in 2002. Jones' relatives said Guiteau was an illegal immigrant and was deported to Haiti.
Niagara County prosecutors did not immediately respond to messages Friday asking whether Guiteau might face further charges related to Jones' death.
© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bernadette Jones, 51, of Niagara Falls, died Sunday of pneumonia at her family's home, The Buffalo News reported. As her stepfather, Robert Anderson Jr., and other relatives prepared for her funeral Friday, Anderson recalled how family and friends came together when the mother of three was released from the hospital eight months after the attack.
Jones could breathe on her own but needed a feeding tube. She never woke up, although family members said she would eventually open her left eye and move her arms as they cared for her, played music and read from the Bible. Early on, her three children would climb into bed with her and sleep.
"You have to do it willingly and 300 percent or don't do it," Anderson, 70, told The Buffalo News. "Through all the trials and tribulations we went through, we never once argued over Bernadette."
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"We know she would have expired a long time ago if she had not come home to live with us," said Robert Anderson, a City Council member. "We know she's gone home to God and to her mother and wow, that's a plus."
Jones was beaten by her husband, Patrick Guiteau, on April 14, 1991. Guiteau, 58, was convicted of first-degree assault and sentenced in November 1992 to 10 to 15 years in prison. State prison records show he was released to immigration officials in 2002. Jones' relatives said Guiteau was an illegal immigrant and was deported to Haiti.
Niagara County prosecutors did not immediately respond to messages Friday asking whether Guiteau might face further charges related to Jones' death.
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I would never presume to tell a family whether they should keep a comatose daughter alive by a feeding tube and home care. it was their choice. it's easy to say what you would do or not do in that type of situation until it actually happens. even living wills can be contested
Other families may make other decisions, also based in love. I don't think it's up to outsiders to say one way or other.
This is a nice article. I enjoyed it. Wonderful people. God bless them.
The family received help the State's Crime Victims Board, which means the state she lived in paid for it.
IF someone you loved where breathing on their own, heart beating on its own... to be merciful to 'her', you'd let her die of thirst?
And whether it would have been her choice to burden her family with the astronomical expense in terms of money and energy to keep her basically lifeless body alive for that long.
Of course, chances are VERY good that her family didn't have the resources, so ended up getting the taxpayer to pay most of the expenses through Social Security disability, Medicaid, etc.
The article even mentions that her family "obtained round-the-clock medical care from the state's Crime Victims Board, which also gave money toward the construction of a room for Jones at the back of the family home."
If something like this were to happen to me, I would sincerely hope that those who loved me would let me die with dignity.
We strongly advise ALL adults to inform themselves, have discussions with their families and put their healthcare directions in writing.
Check out the website OKtoDie.com....tools to assist.