Terri Schiavo with a different ending? | Fighting for David tells true story of one man’s remarkable recovery Yakima, Washington: Leone Nunley refused to pull the plug on her son David McRae, who sustained massive brain trauma in a motorcycle accident in the fall of 1989. Doctors pronounced that David was in a “persistent vegetative state,” the same diagnosis given to Teresa (Terri) Schiavo in 1990. Yet Leone and her family were determined to restore David to the highest level of function possible, and through painstaking years of physical therapy, the impossible became a reality. In March 2006, on the one year anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s death, Tyndale House Publishers released the details of David’s recovery in Fighting for David by Leone Nunley with Dean Merrill. This book offers an important case study in the on-going debate about the value of human life. A full-color photo insert showing David’s life and recovery, as well as a handwritten note by David, provide hard evidence of one family’s remarkable struggle against a grim medical prognosis. “Not only do cases of brain damage and recovery show us the power of the human will and spirit, neuroanatomical research on recovery from brain damage has also revealed the remarkable resilience of the human brain and its capacity to adapt in the face of trauma,” notes Dr. Derrick L. Hassert, assistant professor of psychology at Trinity Christian College. While the high-profile case of Terri Schiavo ended in tragedy, David’s story ends in hope and triumph over adversity. David’s recovery has exceeded all medical expectations. David can now speak, feed and dress himself, and walk with the aid of a walker. He also lives on his own in a duplex with a caregiver. David’s faith and love for his family and friends is apparent to all who meet him. About 1.4 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, and approximately 10-15,000 of these patients are declared to be in a persistent vegetative state. “As long as the medical prognosis is mixed or even cloudy, we must hold to the side of life,” Nunley affirms. Fighting for David by Leone Nunley with Dean Merrill March 2006, 205 pages, ISBN: 1-4143-0974-0, $14.99, softcover Author Biography Leone Nunley is the mother of five grown sons. She and her husband, Dale Nunley, live in Yakima, Washington. Since 2001, her son David McRae has lived nearby in his own duplex with a caretaker. In memory of Terri Schiavo and her suffering, Leone has designated that the proceeds from the book will go to The Shepherd’s Door, a woman’s shelter operated by the Portland Rescue Mission.
adriannawright@tyndale.com | |
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