Edwarda O'Bara (March 27, 1953 – November 21, 2012) was an American woman who spent 42 years in a diabetic coma starting in January 1970 after contracting pneumonia in December 1969.
Edwarda O'Bara | |
|---|---|
 High school photo of Edwarda O'Bara in 1970 | |
| Born | March 27, 1953 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 21, 2012 (aged 59) Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | "Florida's sleeping Snow White"[1] |
Early life and family
editO'Bara was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to Joe O'Bara and Kathryn "Kaye" McCloskey. She was named after Kaye's father Edward McCloskey, a mayor of the latter town during the 1930s.[2] Joe was a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh in 1952, was the Middleweight Boxing champion for the U.S. Navy during World War II,[3] and went on to become a physical education teacher. Kaye was a high school math teacher. She also had a younger sister, Colleen.[4][5]
Illness and care
editO'Bara contracted pneumonia on December 20, 1969, at 16 years old. Her condition worsened over a period of two weeks and she was taken to a hospital. According to her family, at 3 a.m. on January 3, 1970, O'Bara "woke up shaking and in great pain because the oral form of insulin she had been taking wasn't reaching her blood stream".[6] The date was significant for the family as it was her parents' 22nd wedding anniversary.[7] Her family rushed her to the hospital, where she slipped into a diabetic coma. Before losing consciousness, Edwarda asked her mother, Kaye O'Bara, to never leave her side.[8] She was fed from a tube and Kaye turned her from side to side every two hours to prevent bedsores. Kaye also read, played music, and made conversation with her.[5] Her father Joe also gave up his job to care for her. By 2007, the costs of O'Bara's care had put her mother into debt by $200,000.[9] Joe had a heart attack in 1972 and died in 1976 at the age of 50. Kaye died in 2008 at the age of 81. After Kaye's death, Edwarda continued to be cared for by her sister.
Death
editO'Bara died at her home in Miami Gardens, Florida on November 21, 2012, at the age of 59.[10] Thousands of people from around the world subsequently visited the O'Bara family home.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Birthday celebration plans for world's longest-surviving coma patient". Belfast Telegraph. August 24, 2009. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ O'Matz, Megan (October 31, 2003). "FL Mom Cares For Comatose Daughter For 33 Yrs". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ Wells, Tom (December 25, 1995). "Woman has spent 26 years keeping her daughter's wish". The Daily Courier. p. 8A. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Drash, Wayne (December 23, 2012). "Comatose since Christmas 1969: A tale of unconditional love and miracles". Cable News Network. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Cavaliere, Victoria (November 23, 2012). "Florida woman dies after spending 42 years in a coma". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Inyang, Ifreke (November 24, 2012). "Longest coma patient ever passes away after 42 years". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ "Mother Awaits End To 9-Year Sleep". The Palm Beach Post. January 14, 1979. p. A4.
- ^ "Mom stays by comatose daughter". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 25, 1995. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ Quaroni, Marlene (April 25, 2007). "Mother has cared for comatose daughter for 37 years". Catholic Online. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Moskovitz, Diana (November 22, 2012). "Edwarda O'Bara, who spent 4 decades in a coma, dies at 59". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.