Ghost Boy is an interesting case study of a form of “locked-in syndrome” where an individual is aware, but cannot communicate because of total body paralysis (except for the eyes). It is extraordinarily rare for any motor function to return; however, as mentioned in Ghost Boy, devices are available that can sometimes aid in communication. Unfortunately, approximately 9 out of 10 victims of locked-in syndrome will die within four months of onset.
Not everyone in a PVS (persistent vegetative state) has locked-in syndrome. In fact, most victims of PVS, have no consciousness at all, meaning that they are NOT aware of what is happening around them and have no thought.
Given this information, as well as your reading of Ghost Boy, write a 2-3 page (double-spaced, 12-point font) essay that addresses the following questions. Note that you do not need to go in any sort of order. Feel free to structure the paper however you’d like and discuss any impressions you had of the reading that are not prompted below, but make sure to also address each of the following prompts:
What were your overall impressions of the sections that we read of Ghost Boy? Was there anything that surprised you or that you found especially interesting?
Martin was misdiagnosed as being in a PVS state, when in fact he was locked-in. This type of misdiagnosis is extremely rare, but does occur. If you were diagnosed as being in a PVS AND on life support, would you want to be kept alive? If so, for how long? If not, why not? Would you have any fear that you may have been diagnosed as being in PVS when you were really locked- in?
Does your family know about your preferences for various end-of-life scenarios (e.g. how long you’d like to be kept on life support)? What problems could potentially arise if family members are unaware of your preferences?
Reflection type Essay
MUST BE 2 FULL PAGES
NO PLAGIARISM
