Former firefighter who was in a near persistent vegetative state starts speaking and performing simple tasks after 10 years.

CNN.com HEALTH - Donald Herbert sat unmoving in a wheelchair, drooling and barely aware. For the once robust firefighter, 10 minutes without oxygen had turned into nearly 10 years without seeing or speaking.

..."In the past several years, his condition had sunk to a near persistent vegetative state", (His Doctor) Dr. Jamil Ahmed said

His wife refused to give up.

...Certain medications had shown promise in Dr. Jamil Ahmed’s more recently brain-damaged patients, drugs normally used to treat Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. He gave them to Herbert.

Three months later, on Saturday, something clicked in Herbert’s brain. He started talking. Not only talking, his doctor said, but talking sensibly. Even making people laugh.

I’m glad he wasn’t made to die...