Is A Brain Dead Person Actually Dead?

There are many conditions that can affect consciousness, but none as devastating as brain death. What happens to the body when brain dead?

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How Brain Death Works
“Patients who suffer brain death are not in coma. Patients in coma may or may not progress to brain death.
The brain is a very complex organ. It is the brain that controls not only an individual's thought process and voluntary movements, but it controls involuntary movements and other vital body functions.”

Life After Brain Death: Is The Body Still ‘Alive’?
“A 13-year-old girl in California continues to be on a ventilator after being declared brain-dead by doctors. Although a brain-dead person is not legally alive, how much of the body will keep on working with the help of technology, and for how long?”

Disorders of Consciousness: Brain Death, Coma, and the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States
“Approximately five minutes after a terrible car accident that ejected Matt Trenton from his car, first responders found him face down and not breathing. They placed an endotracheal (breathing) tube in his trachea (windpipe) and transported him to the hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU. He received treatments, such as medications to elevate blood pressure, ventilator support of breathing, and IV fluids for hydration, all of which are necessary to support the brain and the body so that the brain can recover from injury.”

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[erick]

My father was in a coma for 7 weeks.  One week after the heart attack and doctors alredy wanted to unplug the machine.   i said no.   He woke up after 7 weeks.  If i had said yeas he probably would no be here right now.  its been 6 years and he is still here.

[xaliflornia]

my brother got into a bad car accident & the doctors said he became brain dead. I never understood why they couldn't just keep him alive with the machines, but now I do. thanks dnews.

[tokyoa]

my cousin died this way.
her blood sugar was so high (550) which caused something called hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNS).if untreated immediately it starts damaging everything in the body... and because she was misdiagnosed at first, it was too late... the brain was already damaged.
she was on life support for two weeks n then she passed away .. she was my age 21

she was my best friend

[abdullahabed]

One of my best friend was in coma for more 8 days and now his brain is dead he was a careless driver. Take care of your driving.

[deveneyk.]

My baby sister was braindead earlier this year, one day she was fine and the next day I came home from school and got a call that my sister was braindead in that evening my mom pulled the plug, we didn't even got to send the birthcarts, One day I had a sister and the next I didn't. Rest in Peace sissy she got to be 5 weeks old💜😢

[FerRod]

My grandpa was pronounced brain dead on Friday.. today they disconnected him from life support. They said he can go another few hours or a couple days on his own before he passes.. remember your loved ones and don’t let grudges hold you back. This video helps get some closure, thank you!

[playboybarbie]

my husband has had a very bad stroke. He Is only 39 years old. The doctor said he is brain dead. I’m coming to you to ask if you can pray for him? Can you ask others to pray for him? We are asking God for a miracle. We need all the prayers we can get right now. His name is Jose Aguilera. Please pray. Thank you.

[SarahSodaPop]

I was in a coma for two days in 2002. I'm very lucky to not have suffered any lasting damage to my brain or organs and I am so grateful that was the case. After coming across this video I have decided to express my gratitude for this daily. I have a lot I should be more grateful for.

[ThePenguinbabe]

All I'm going to say is that if I were to go be brain dead, I have only one wish: to be surrounded by my loved ones to say their goodbyes and have them pull the plug. I feel that it's not fair to have them suffer emotionally, psychologically, and not to mention financially, especially if there is little to zero chance that I'll recover. The better option would be to just let my body die so I can be free. To quote Panic! At the Disco, "If you love me, let me go".

[dbsirius]

If i'm in a vegetative state, please steam me.

[briskstate]

"Thanks brain" You are your brain, you and your brain are not separate entities. So you basically saying "Thanks me"

[yoshifan]

My grandmother has been in a coma for four years now. She fell into cardiac arrest and when paramedics arrived, it was too late (if blood flow is disrupted to your brain for even minutes, it can cause severe drain damage). Over the course of years, she was passed around from hospital to hospital until she ended up having her life support set up at her house. My grandfather now takes care of her along with my uncle on occasion.

P.S: This isn’t intended as likebait. I just wanted to comment my story for anyone interested or can relate to it.

[Miltrum]

My dad died after a motorcycle incident. His head hit a concrete block his heart worked but he was braindead he was my best friends I miss him♥️♥️💯

[Cali]

My siblings and I, sadly, had gotten to learn the distinction between a vegetative state, comatose and brain death in the one-week that followed my mom's cardiac arrest at the hospital. Considering it's only been eight months ago, I was actually surprised at how I was able to sit through this video without feeling all emotional.

[northernpike]

The father of my grandson had a seizure and went into a coma. Later he was pronounced brain dead... They sent him to hospital in our capital city to harvest his organs for donations. As they took him off life support to harvest organs he came to and is alive and recovering well. It's been over 2 months since he woke up. They are filing a lawsuit

[jdyrj]

My mother just passed away over the holidays. She went into the hospital for a broken hip. When the checked her breathing it was very low due to cigarett smoking. They put her into a coma and hooked her up to a breathing machine. They could do nothing for her broken hip due to her inability to breath on her own. She was in the hospital a couple of weeks. They told me she was brain dead and wanted to turn the breathing machine off. I was not there due to the distance i lived away fom her but my aunt and cousin was with her when she passed. They tell me she was gasping for air and said it was normal. From what i understand in this video if she was brain dead she would not have been gasping. That is very disturbing to me..

[nmejias]

A close family member was pronounced brain dead last year, I got to see her a couple of times while she was still in her bed in the intensive care unit, but before being allowed to see her, the doctor did tell us that she was already dead. It was very painful and sad.

[shathinchittum]

In 2008 a woman named Val Thomas (not sure about the last name) was declared brain dead but she started talking to nurses when they came to unhook her life support.

[proudboricua]

I was in a coma for 3 weeks after our convoy fell into a 30 foot deep river, 1 died and 4 of us managed to survive AND my captain we were the only ones who got hurt
i was 3 weeks in a coma the first 17 days i never had dreams the next 4 days i had dreams in those dreams everything made sense it was like i was really living a real life when i woke up i thought i was at home i didnt remember the 2 months i was in afghanistan I only remember the 2 months before the accident thank God that were no damages ony brain 6 months after the accident i was back the way I was before that accident I stay 3 more years in the military

[gamer]

Oh that sucks, my cousin was in a plane crash and now he's brain dead sadly. I prayed for him :(