Jack has asked me to post the following: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 10:48:12 -0400 From: John Duskin <duskin@math.buffalo.edu> To: Michael Barr <barr@barrs.org> Subject: John Isbell Mike perhaps you could post this to the net as a reply to your , I feel, overly pessimistic view of John's condition: Mike, your pessimistic view of John's condition is not shared by those of us who have seen him in Buffalo. People who have been in a prolonged coma may take months to return to normal functioning and even then require equally long periods of rehabilitation. Ren� Lavendhomme told me this summer about his experience and mental confusion after a prolonged coma..."and then I even had to re-learn to walk!". People who know him now would never know that he had had such a terrible experience. I hope that that will be the case with John as well. Knowing him I can well imagine him quoting Mark Twain to us: " The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."