Elaine Esposito
Encyclopedia
Elaine Esposito holds the record for longest coma
according to the Guinness World Records
, having lost consciousness in 1941 and eventually dying in that condition more than 37 years later.
Elaine was the only child of Louis and Lucy Esposito of Chicago
, Illinois
. At age 6 she was taken to a hospital having suffered a ruptured appendix
, where she underwent an appendectomy on August 6, 1941. She never awoke after being anesthetized. As the surgery was coming to an end, she went into convulsions, her temperature rose to 107.6 °F (42 °C), and doctors feared that she would not survive the night. The cause of the complication was debated with some suggesting that Elaine had encephalitis
and others saying that her brain was not receiving enough oxygen during the operation.
The first ten months of her coma were spent in a Chicago hospital until her parents could no longer afford her care, at which point they took her home so her mother Lucy could care for her day and night. In her lengthy coma she showed states of both deep sleep and open-eyed unconsciousness and she grew slightly to 85 lbs. Elaine survived numerous other conditions over the years, including additional abdominal surgery, pneumonia
, the measles
, and a collapsed lung. The family eventually moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida
, and she was also taken to visit the Grotto at Lourdes
, France
where her parents hoped for a miracle. Her father, Louis, who had been working multiple jobs, died from cancer in January 1978. Elaine died at the age of 43 years 357 days, having been in a coma for 37 years 111 days.
The story of Elaine Esposito was brought back into attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo case
, who was in a persistent vegetative state
. Coincidentally, Schiavo and Elaine were both being cared for in Pinellas County, Florida
at the time of their death and shared the same birthday, December 3.
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
according to the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, having lost consciousness in 1941 and eventually dying in that condition more than 37 years later.
Elaine was the only child of Louis and Lucy Esposito of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. At age 6 she was taken to a hospital having suffered a ruptured appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
, where she underwent an appendectomy on August 6, 1941. She never awoke after being anesthetized. As the surgery was coming to an end, she went into convulsions, her temperature rose to 107.6 °F (42 °C), and doctors feared that she would not survive the night. The cause of the complication was debated with some suggesting that Elaine had encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
and others saying that her brain was not receiving enough oxygen during the operation.
The first ten months of her coma were spent in a Chicago hospital until her parents could no longer afford her care, at which point they took her home so her mother Lucy could care for her day and night. In her lengthy coma she showed states of both deep sleep and open-eyed unconsciousness and she grew slightly to 85 lbs. Elaine survived numerous other conditions over the years, including additional abdominal surgery, pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, the measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
, and a collapsed lung. The family eventually moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
, and she was also taken to visit the Grotto at Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where her parents hoped for a miracle. Her father, Louis, who had been working multiple jobs, died from cancer in January 1978. Elaine died at the age of 43 years 357 days, having been in a coma for 37 years 111 days.
The story of Elaine Esposito was brought back into attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo case
Terri Schiavo case
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...
, who was in a persistent vegetative state
Persistent vegetative state
A persistent vegetative state is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. It is a diagnosis of some uncertainty in that it deals with a syndrome. After four weeks in a vegetative state , the patient is...
. Coincidentally, Schiavo and Elaine were both being cared for in Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
at the time of their death and shared the same birthday, December 3.