Is Joan Rivers Brain Dead? Joan Reportedly Showing Signs Of Brain Function
A spot of hope surrounds Joan Rivers this afternoon as a new reports claims that she is showing signs of brain function despite being on life support. According to Entertainment Tonight, a source close to the Rivers family confirms that Joan has not been deemed brain dead. This news comes just after it was reported that Joan has been moved out of the ICU and into a private room at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where Joan has been since Thursday.
“Preliminary tests appear to rule out brain dead. There seems to be some function,” said a source close to the situation.
If this is true and Joan Rivers is showing signs of brain function, it could mean that she is going to come out of this at some point. Of course there has been speculation surrounding how much Joan will be able to function if she is able to live on her own (without the help of the machine). Some reports claim that Joan won’t be able to do much, and may be forced to spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, sources have said that if Joan pulls through, she faces years of extensive rehab — her career as a comedian and talk show host will likely be over. However, if she can live a life that has some aspect of quality to it, that might not be such a terrible thing.
It is believed that Joan Rivers is not breathing on her own. It’s unknown if any of her other vital organ functions are working, or if the life support machines are what’s completely keeping her alive at this point. Patients who are on life support that don’t show any signs of brain function will usually be taken off by doctors after very difficult decisions made by their families. However, it sounds like Joan has a real chance here.
While hope has been slim, miracles absolutely do happen. Melissa Rivers has been thanking people for their love and support over the past few days (via The LA Times), and believe it or not, that positivity really can help the situation. If Joan is showing brain function, she might be hearing her daughter’s words, and she could regain the strength to stay with us.
Melissa has asked that people continue to keep her and her mom in their thoughts going forward. An update in the coming days either from Melissa or from Joan’s rep should give the public a better idea about Joan’s condition and what the future holds for her.
[Photo courtesy of The Wrap]
