The mother's promise not to abandon her comatose daughter for 38 years

"I will never abandon you," Kathryn O'Bara told Edwarda's daughter before she fell into a coma forever.

Edwarda O'Bara was only 16 when she fell into a coma. During the past 42 years, the girl has made many people think, even the doctor who saved the patient still wondered: "Is it better to let her die".

But above all, the story of Edwarda is the touching story of the boundless love of a mother who dedicates her daughter.

Edwarda O'Bara was cared for by her mother for 38 years in a coma.(Photo: CNN).

According to CNN, Edwarda is Kathryn McCloskey's and Joe O'Bara 's first daughter. Settling in South Florida, Kathryn was a math teacher and Joe became a gym teacher. 18 months after welcoming Edwarda, the O'Bara couple had a daughter Colleen. "All I dreamed about was two daughters. And the merciful God met that desire, " Kathryn said.

In late 1969, Edwarda was diagnosed with diabetes and had to take insulin in tablet form, the drug is no longer prescribed to minors due to the series of dangerous side effects. Although ill, Edwarda still achieved excellent results at school. The girl of that day always got an A, and even got accepted to the University of Notre Dame, which was only male and adopted a dream to become a pediatrician.

Edwarda was young.(Photo: CNN).

In the midst of the Christmas holidays in 1969, calamities began to come. Edwarda fell ill with the flu, so sick that he vomited everything. By the time the family realized, her health had deteriorated greatly. Edwarda kept screaming, his legs were full of rash. On January 3, 1970, right on the 22nd anniversary of Joe and Kathryn's wedding, Edwarda entered North Miami General Hospital at 2am.

Presenting at the hospital, Dr. Louis Chaykin witnessed Edwarda's mother holding hands tightly in the emergency room."The girl said," Don't abandon me, "and the mother replied," I will never leave. " , The doctor recalls.

Once hospitalized, Edwarda's lungs stopped working. Both sides of the kidney are impaired, the heart weakens and the brain does not have enough oxygen. As an endocrinologist who learns with special skills, Dr. Chaykin participates in treating Edwarda."The patient was on the verge of death. We worked long hours to save her and stop metabolic abnormalities. However, brain damage cannot be changed," Dr Chaykin said. .

From here, Edwarda sank into a coma. She was hospitalized for five months and then moved home.

Keeping the promise, Kathryn spent every time with Edwarda. She turned the couple's bedroom into a sick room and put a chair on the bed of her daughter. Every two hours, Kathryn let Edwarda drink milk through the tube. She placed dozens of alarms in the middle of the night, 2am, 4pm, 6am and only slept for 75 minutes at a time.

Kathryn regularly injects insulin, helps her daughter to turn and change diapers. Suffering from arthritis, the mother's back gradually cuffed but she never complained. As a devout sheep, Kathryn told everyone that taking care of Edwarda was a blessing given to God.

Due to the cost of treatment, the O'Bara family fell into debt. Joe must paint the walls and fix the engine to get more income. In 1976, due to the overwhelming pressure both financially and spiritually, the navy veteran died. Colleen also had to postpone his plans to go to college to help his mother repay.

No matter how difficult it is, Kathryn has never lost her trust. At the end of each letter she sent to Charles Whited from the Miami Herald, she always wrote: "Hope never dies."

In May 1982, Kathryn suffered a heart attack while looking at her daughter sleeping. She was admitted to the hospital 10 days and Kathryn was away from Edwarda for the first time in 12 years.

Kathryn is with her daughter.(Photo: CNN).

In August 1983, Kathryn claimed to have heard her call out: " Hey" while in the kitchen with some friends. "I never understand that feeling. It's Edwarda's voice. She's laughing," Kathryn told Charles. The following night, Edwarda spoke for the second time and also for the last time.

In the next five months, Kathryn remained steadfast, always hoping and praying. Knowing that Edwarda was reading James Michener's Hawaii novel before her coma, Kathryn reread the book to her daughter over and over again.

In March 2008, Kathryn died in her daughter's room. At 80, the mother took care of Edwarda for nearly four decades and kept her promise of not abandoning her.

Seeing that the O'Bara family struggled with Edwarda's illness, Dr. Chaykin thought he was wrong to save the life of the female patient. However, over time, his views gradually changed."I am impressed by the sacrifice and love of the mother. It seems that God has a reason for me to save Edwarda's life , " the physician said.

Admiring Kathryn's love for Edwarda, thousands of people from Japan, Australia, Italy and Canada visited the O'Bara family. In particular, they believed that Edwarda possessed divine healing abilities. A woman who had an inoperable brain tumor recovered after 3 months of touching Edwarda. Two girls with cystic fibrosis were healthy only a few months from the day they visited the female patient. Even the most skeptical people feel a strange atmosphere when entering the house in northern Miami. On the wall of Edwarda's room, Kathryn posted on the quote: "Where there is love, there is a miracle".

"I can't explain it as a doctor. Is it a coincidence or anything else," Dr. Chaykin wondered.

In November 2012, after time was taken care of by Colleen's sister, Edwarda took her last breath. On November 28, she was buried next to her father and mother.