Acknowledgments . . xi
Introduction . . 1

1 Decisions . . 12
2 The Injury . . 16
3 Coming to Terms with Brain Injury . . 26
4 The Origins of the Vegetative State . . 35
5 A Shift since Quinlan . . 42
6 Maggie's Wishes . . 49
7 Something Happened in Arkansas . . 59
8 From PVS to MCS . . 69
9 Leaving the Hospital . . 83
10 Heather's Story . . 97
11 Neuroimaging and Neuroscience in the Public Mind . . 111
12 Contractures and Contradictions: Medical Necessity and the Injured Brain . . 134
13 Minds, Monuments, and Moments . . 165
14 Heads and Hearts, Toil and Tears . . 179
15 What Do Families Want? . . 196
16 Deep Brain Stimulation in MCS . . 204
17 Mending Our Brains, Minding Our Ethics . . 216
18 It's Still Freedom . . 227
19 Maggie Is in Town . . 248
20 When Consciousness Becomes Prosthetic . . 272
21 The Rights of Mind . . 286
22 A Call for Advocacy . . 309

Epilogue . . 313
Notes . . 321
In Memoriam . . 355
Index . . 357