In addition to medical treatment, the care and support of loved ones are equally important.

There are many medical treatments for patients in a vegetative state, and the care and support of loved ones are equally important. Let’s begin with a specific case.

At the age of 23, a young man from Wuhan named Han Chunlai was accidentally injured during a brawl at a local construction site. He sustained a head wound from being struck by a wooden stool and a stab wound to the chest, resulting in a “contusion of the left lung, rupture of the right ventricle, and contused‑lacerated brain injury.” He was rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment, where his heart stopped during a cardiac repair surgery. Although he survived the procedure, he remained in a persistent vegetative state, and the hospital informed his family that recovery of consciousness was highly unlikely. On November 30 last year, after extensive inquiries, his parents contacted Dr. Wang Peidong, director of the Nanjing Zijin Hospital’s China Brain Resuscitation Center, renowned for its work in awakening patients in a vegetative state, and arranged for the hospital to dispatch an ambulance to transport their son to Nanjing for further treatment.

After Han Chunlai was taken to the hospital, President Wang Peidong invited leading neurology and brain‑resuscitation specialists from across the province to develop a detailed protocol for promoting his awakening. The treatment regimen incorporated a comprehensive approach, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, electrical stimulation, and acupuncture. Meanwhile, his family employed affection‑based methods, speaking to him daily while he remained in a coma and repeatedly playing his favorite songs by Andy Lau. Within less than a month, Han Chunlai regained consciousness. According to President Wang Peidong, it is extremely rare for a patient with severe traumatic brain injury accompanied by a penetrating cardiac wound—whose heart had stopped for five minutes and who had been unconscious for more than four months—to be successfully awakened.

Professor Wang Yitang stated that no one can predict when a “vegetative state” patient will awaken or whether they will ever regain full consciousness. The annual cost of attempting to awaken such patients is approximately 30,000 yuan, and one of the key factors in achieving this outcome is the unwavering perseverance of their family members.

Among more than 2,000 patients who regained consciousness at Nanjing Zijin Hospital, it is not uncommon for parents to forgo their own meals—saving even on pickled vegetables—to afford their child’s treatment. As reported recently by this newspaper, a patient in a vegetative state named Wang Yi suffered a stroke in his thirties due to hypertension, leaving him in a vegetative condition. For seven years, his parents persevered, providing meticulous care and maintaining constant communication with him, ultimately succeeding in awakening their son.

Even after waking up, they still can’t take care of themselves—is it worth it?

Professor Wang Yitang said: Living with dignity is the right of every human being.

Most patients in a vegetative state who are brought back to consciousness face a long and arduous road to recovery. They cannot care for themselves, cannot utter a complete sentence, and remain confined to wheelchairs. Day after day, their routine consists of eating, drinking, toileting, and repetitive rehabilitation exercises. Faced with the heavy burden this places on their families, some believe such treatment is worthwhile, while others ask: what is the point of trying to awaken a patient in a vegetative state?