Carina Melchior: The Girl Who Refused to Die

A teenage girl in a coma after a catastrophic car crash came round just as doctors were about to declare her brain dead.  Carina Melchior had had life support withdrawn on the advice of medics and was being prepared for organ donation.  But to the astonishment of staff at the Aarhus Hospital, in Denmark, the 19-year-old suddenly opened her eyes and started moving her legs. (Daily Telegraph; Copenhagen Post)





She is now making a good recovery at a rehabilitation centre and is able to walk, talk and even ride her horse.  Her family is now suing the hospital for damages, claiming that doctors had been desperate to harvest her body parts.



The case has sparked a public debate in Denmark about donations and end-of-life treatments, with registered donors withdrawing consent in fear of doctors acting too quickly.  The Danish government is drawing up new guidelines to prevent doctors from making preparations to remove organs until the patient is officially declared clinically dead.



The story was covered in a documentary called "The Girl Who Refused to Die."