Man Declared Nearly Brain Dead Makes Miraculous Recovery After Family Takes Him off Ventilator

A Nebraska man whose family removed him from life support after he was declared nearly brain dead made a miraculous recovery, leaving the hospital Thursday. 

T. Scott Marr was found unconscious in his home by his son on Dec. 12, according to the World-Herald, a day after his 61st birthday. At the hospital, scans showed brain swelling and doctors determined that he had likely suffered a stroke.

Marr was hooked up to a breathing machine in intensive care, the paper reported, but his condition only seemed to deteriorate. With no signs of improvement, the family made a tough decision to remove him from the ventilator.

“None of us wanted him lying in that hospital bed any longer than he had to,” his daughter Preston Marr told the World-Herald. 

But then, something strange happened. 

The day after they'd gathered around Marr's bed to say goodbye, they got a call that he appeared to be responding. His children rushed to his side. 

"I asked him to move his thumbs," Preston told local station KETV, "and he slowly moved his thumbs, and I asked him to wiggle his toes, and he wiggled all his toes really slightly.

"I literally had to rub my eyes to make sure it was actually happening."

An MRI showed that Marr was actually suffering from a condition known as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, which doesn't typically lead to such significant brain swelling, explaining why doctors suspected a stroke instead. 

After undergoing physical therapy, Marr finally went home on Thursday, but now he's got a new name to go by.

"It's been a whirlwind of emotions, but we all just stuck through it together and stuck by his side. Now he's got the nickname of the 'miracle man,'" Preston said. 

"I don't want to make this into a huge religious thing," Marr said, "but I'll tell you what, it was pretty much a miracle."

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