Jill and Ryan Finley were a typical Oklahoma City couple when their lives were flipped completely upside down. The Finleys had only been married for four years, but they were head over heels in love. After a tough week of work, they spent their weekends unwinding and sleeping in, just like any other young couple. This weekend was going to be unlike any other weekend they’d ever experienced…
When Ryan went to get Jill up from her slumber, what began off as a routine Saturday morning turned into a nightmare. Ryan initially assumed she was sleeping deeply, but when he began shaking her, he found she was entirely unresponsive. Seeing a loved one in this state is enough to shake anyone to their core. This terrifying incident would only be the start of a long journey for the pair. Ryan had no idea what he was in for…
Jill and Ryan spent their weekends resting and enjoying each other’s company as most couples do. They were just like any other middle-class couple hoping to start a family and raise their own children. They both lived and worked in Oklahoma City, a place they were both quite familiar with.
On weekends, Ryan would usually let Jill sleep in while he sat on their balcony reading the newspaper. It was something they did on weekends all the time, so Jill’s lack of awakening was not unusual. Ryan, on the other hand, got a strange sensation that he should get his wife up early one Saturday in May…call it blind intuition, but it would have enormous ramifications for Jill.
It was Saturday, May 26th, 2007, and by all accounts, it was simply another lovely spring Saturday for the couple to enjoy. Jill, 32, and Ryan, 31, were counting down the days until their weekend together. They still had that spark between them as newlyweds, and they cared strongly for one another.
Ryan got a strange sensation that he needed to wake up his wife early on Saturday morning, so he did. The sensation he was having was inexplicable, but it was prompting him to wake Jill up. As a result, he entered the house, walked over to the room, and opened the door…
Ryan went over to Jill’s bedside to check on her and called her name as he opened the bedroom door to wake her up. Something told him that all he needed to do was “check in on her.”
Ryan tried to rouse Jill awake as soon as he entered the room, but she remained unresponsive no matter how hard he tried or how loud he yelled. Ryan was becoming increasingly agitated, fearing the worse, that Jill had died.
He examined her pulse and checked her breathing after shaking her and not getting a reaction. When he discovered she wasn’t breathing, he remembered a CPR class he’d taken a long time ago, about ten years ago, and got Jill out of bed and onto the floor to start chest compressions and CPR.
Ryan’s mind was swimming with thoughts as he stood on top of her, crushing her chest and breathing into her mouth. CPR was ineffective, and Jill showed no indications of life at all… Ryan had to act quickly…
Ryan then dialed 911 and began CPR, remaining on the phone with the 911 operator while waiting for paramedics to come. Ryan was tense as he waited for what seemed like an eternity for the paramedics to come. Then he heard the paramedics’ sirens racing down the street, and he knew they were on their way to save her…
The paramedics rushed into the house and began working quickly to save Jill’s life. Jill’s heart was shocked back to life, and paramedics were able to restart her heartbeat. They took Jill to the adjacent Oklahoma Heart Hospital by ambulance once they had a pulse on her.
All Ryan could think about as the ambulance raced to the Heart Hospital was what had gone wrong, why he felt compelled to wake her up, and was Jill going to be okay. He continued asking the paramedics what was going on, but they only ordered him to stay cool.
Ryan then prayed to God, pleading with Him to save his lovely wife and not let him lose her. He hoped that his faith in God and prayer would help him get through this terrifying adventure and safely return her home…
Jill was sent to the ICU as soon as she arrived at the hospital so doctors could determine out what was wrong and how to save her. She had a pulse, but they didn’t know anything else about her at the time. Ryan frantically phoned family members to inform them of the situation and what was going on in the emergency room.
The physicians determined that while they worked to figure out what was wrong with Jill, it was prudent to place her on a respirator. The doctors were baffled as to what they could do to assist her. Nobody knew what was causing all of this or what the long-term consequences might be at the time…
Ryan stood by in the hospital as doctors placed his wife in a special outfit designed to reduce her body temperature. This was done in the hopes of minimizing any brain damage caused by Jill’s lack of oxygen. This fast response by the doctors would have far-reaching consequences for Jill in the future…
The good news was that Jill was alive and breathing, with a beating heart, but she would be in a deep coma for an indefinite period of time. Ryan started asking a lot of questions, but he got few answers because the physicians were still working…
After a thorough examination of his wife, the physicians informed Ryan that she had suffered a heart attack while asleep. Ryan couldn’t believe his ears when he heard what he did. He thought she was the picture of good health. The doctors then proceeded to say…
She experienced not just a heart attack, but her brain had also been deprived of oxygen for five minutes. Ryan saw immediately away that depriving Jill’s brain of oxygen for five minutes was extremely dangerous and may have long-term health consequences…
Ryan saw the entirety of his life flash before his eyes. His devoted wife had gone into a coma and was unlikely to wake up. They were going to enjoy a lovely Saturday morning when this happened. Ryan and their entire family were beginning to feel the effects of this unexpected tragedy.
He resolved to stay at Jill’s side from that point forward, never leaving her until she was healthy. This was a promise he made to Jill while she was in a coma in the hospital bed. Every night, he lay next to her in an empty hospital bed and read the Bible to her.
Jill remained in her vegetative state despite his care and attempts for a few days. Even though the days were long and the nights were longer, Ryan was adamant about helping Jill at all costs. They promised to be at each other’s side in sickness and in health when they married, and Ryan was keeping his word.
Ryan had faith in his wife because of his bible and prayer. Ryan’s faith was put to the test as the days passed and Jill’s health continued to deteriorate.
One day, the doctors came in and asked to talk with Ryan. The expressions on their faces said it all, and Ryan knew he wouldn’t be getting any good news. He didn’t know what they were going to say, and he didn’t think they’d tell him…
The Doctors were subtly warning him that his wife’s situation was bleak by their kind comments. They told him that Jill had a one percent chance of surviving. Ryan was stunned by the news, which was not what he had hoped for.
The doctors went on to add that with such odds, even if Jill survived, she would not be able to live a normal life for the rest of her life. Jill would become severely disabled due to a lack of oxygen to her brain. The doctors informed him that she would never be able to return to a “normal” life.
Despite knowing his wife’s fate, Ryan refused to accept it and continued to pray. Perhaps he was in denial, unable to accept the fact that his wife would be leaving him. He believed that his faith would carry them both through this and that God would cure her.
Ryan made the decision to start a notebook in which he could record his thoughts, hopes, and wishes. He found it reassuring to write these things down because he hoped Jill might be able to read them one day. Ryan found this notebook to be quite beneficial…
“She’s my soulmate and my wife, my everything in this whole world,” Ryan wrote in one diary entry. Without her, I’d be lost. I’m not going to give up. “I will never abandon her.”
“Every morning when I woke up, I’d realize this wasn’t a dream,” Ryan said of his position. Doctors informed Ryan that there was no sign that Jill would return, and it was time to make painful decisions.
“Every morning when I woke up, I’d realize this wasn’t a dream,” Ryan said of his position. Doctors informed Ryan that there was no sign that Jill would return, and it was time to make painful decisions.
Having to make a decision like this is extremely difficult for any family member. While your hopes and prayers urge you to postpone the final choice, you also wonder if the individual is in pain. You never want someone to suffer in these situations, and you never want to keep them alive for “selfish” reasons…
With his wife in a coma and doctors predicting that she had a low to none chance of surviving or leading a normal life, Ryan was forced to make the most difficult decision of his life. Should he turn off his wife’s life support or continue to fight?
When Ryan was thinking about his wife’s alternatives, he remembered his aunt being put on life support years before and what Jill had said to him at the time. What Jill had informed him was crucial in assisting Ryan in making a decision about his wife.
If she had to live a life in a vegetative condition, she has stated that she would never want to be kept alive on life support. Ryan pondered this hard issue even more after recalling those remarks. When she told him that, did he meet her wishes? What is the best course of action for him? There will be difficult questions to answer and a difficult decision to make…
Ryan felt that his wife would not want to spend her life in a hospital bed after meeting with her entire family, so he filed a court order to remove Jill from life support. Eventually, the court order was granted…
On the morning of June 9, 2007, physicians began preparing Ryan for what he would face once his wife was disconnected from all of the equipment that kept her alive. Observing a family member being unhooked, according to many witnesses, is the worst thing you can imagine.
When Jill was unhooked, the physicians informed Ryan, so he wouldn’t be startled if she exhibited minor movements and restlessness. They assured him that this was completely normal and that he need not be alarmed. Doctors have seen this previously and know that these movements are likely to frighten family members.
Doctors refer to this movement as the “Last Rally,” which refers to a sudden recovery of mental clarity and recollection, or abrupt recovered consciousness, that occurs in patients suffering from serious psychiatric or neurological illnesses just before death.
Doctors unplugged Jill from the equipment that had kept her alive at 6 p.m. Jill’s family and Ryan met at her bedside to say their final goodbyes and allow Jill to pass peacefully. Jill became restless at 11:45 p.m. because she didn’t die right after.
Ryan decided to pull out his phone and record the final moments of Jill’s life so that he could have this memories and be able to look back on it years later.
Jill became restless at 11:45 p.m. because she didn’t die right after. This made the family there feel uneasy, as if something was amiss with her and she was in pain.
After being told by the doctors that this was usual, Ryan assumed that everything was proceeding according to plan. He recalled his chat with the docts about the “Last Rally.” What he wasn’t expecting was what came next….
Ryan watched as her entire upper torso shifted and then she began to mumble. “When that started, I walked out of the room.” “I became physically ill.” Ryan believed this was the start of the end.
Ryan exited the room and went to the corridor to wait. He was in excruciating pain at seeing his wife in this state, and he was terrified by the entire situation. He thought it would be better if he sat outside and prayed, but then the nurse called….
Jill was conversing when one of the nurses called Ryan into the room. Ryan assumed this was standard behavior and chalked it up to the “final rally” mumbling, but he nevertheless returned to the room.
As Ryan entered the room, he noticed Jill seated there, looking awake. Ryan was perplexed because this was not what the doctors had predicted would happen. Then Jill said something….
“Get me out of here,” Jill exclaimed, wide awake and staring directly at Ryan, who was completely taken aback by what was going on. Then she made the most unbelievable request…
“Take me to Ted’s and to the Melting Pot,” Jill said. Both of these establishments were favorites of theirs, and Ryan was taken aback by what he had just heard.
He then starts to quiz Jill about their phone number, as well as the names of their dog and cat. “This was far from the last rally,” Ryan realized after successfully answering all three questions.
She was starting to feel better after only a few days of recovery. Jill and Ryan were then sat down by the physicians, who explained what had actually happened.
Doctors eventually discovered that Jill had an undiagnosed congenital ailment. This ailment is what caused her heart to stop beating and put her into a coma in the first place.
Jill had awoken from her coma and was breathing normally. She underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker for her cardiac problem and subsequently entered a rehabilitation clinic through a miracle of God.
Jill, on the other hand, has no recollection of what happened to her or how she awoke. She had no idea what had transpired from Friday night when she went to bed until two weeks later.
“God,” Jill claims to be her reasoning. She credits him, as well as her husband Ryan, for bringing her here today. Ryan claims that if he had a second opportunity, he would never change his mind about terminating his marriage with his wife.
“I would not have wanted to live like that,” Jill believes he made the right decision. She didn’t want to be a vegetable and supported Ryan’s choice to remove her from life support.
Jill spent the next few months after coming up from her coma relearning fundamental chores like cleaning her teeth, tying her shoelaces, and learning to cook. All of these things are common among coma survivors.
But, like many people in a coma, Jill had no recollection of what had occurred at home, in the hospital, or anywhere in between. But there was one thing she remembered…
Jill’s only recollection of her stay in the hospital was the large shower she was wheeled into every day. She also remembers going to inpatient rehabilitation and remembering all of the occupational therapists and speech pathologists who assisted her.
Aside from that, Jill has some speech issues and her short-term memory is impaired, but she is otherwise quite normal. Jill’s buddy even told her that she is envious of her since she and her husband act like newlyweds.
Jill and Ryan were interviewed by Today in 2010. During this conversation, she spoke openly about the horrible tragedy that had occurred and her life since then.
Jill told Today that she is still in recovery, despite the fact that she is healing well and attempting to improve day by day. She still has a lot of things to work on and improve.
Jill and Ryan now spend every waking minute together, not that they didn’t love each other before. After such fear, you discover a new kind of love for one another.
They travel everywhere together, including the supermarket. “To this day, there hasn’t been a night when I haven’t woken up. I generally kick Jill while she’s sleeping.”
“I know we’re OK if she kicks me back,” Ryan says. Jill now spends every day with her husband, who was nominated for an Oklahoma Heart Hero award for his CPR efforts.
To honor Jill’s unique wishes, the duo has also visited Ted’s and The Melting Pot.