In the medical records, she was listed as a “patient without accompanying persons,” and for the staff she had become nothing more than a silent, motionless figure on a hospital bed.

Only the nurses and the attending physician entered her room each day. They changed the bandages, checked the IV drips, recorded the vital signs, and then left again, leaving her in sterile silence. Each time, the doctor stayed a little longer than required, looked at her face, and silently prayed that one day she would finally open her eyes.