Kristi L. Kirchner, Rebecca Brashler, Rebecca Dresser, and Carol Levine
Mrs. Z is a twenty-nine-year-old woman who sustained a
severe traumatic brain injury five years ago when she was hit by a car whose
driver was drunk. She spent six months recovering, first in the hospital and
then in a rehabilitation facility. Since her discharge from the rehabilitation
facility, she has been living at home with her husband and her four-year-old
twin sons. Mrs. Z is unable to speak, dependent in all mobility and personal
care, incontinent, and has a feeding tube. Although alert and able to respond
to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, Mrs. Z is clearly unable to
participate in even basic decisions. She requires twenty-four-hour care.
A few months ago, Mrs. Z suffered abdominal discomfort, and
her doctor discovered that she was pregnant.
Mrs. Z is a twenty-nine-year-old woman who sustained a
severe traumatic brain injury five years ago when she was hit by a car whose
driver was drunk. She spent six months recovering, first in the hospital and
then in a rehabilitation facility. Since her discharge from the rehabilitation
facility, she has been living at home with her husband and her four-year-old
twin sons. Mrs. Z is unable to speak, dependent in all mobility and personal
care, incontinent, and has a feeding tube. Although alert and able to respond
to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, Mrs. Z is clearly unable to
participate in even basic decisions. She requires twenty-four-hour care.
A few months ago, Mrs. Z suffered abdominal discomfort, and
her doctor discovered that she was pregnant.
Kristi L. Kirchner, Rebecca Brashler, Rebecca Dresser, and Carole Levine, "Sexuality and a Severely Brain-Injured Spouse,"Hastings Center Report 40, no 3 (2010): 14-16.