Two people, a loving couple: one a patient fighting to survive deprivation of food, water, and being inundated with drugs creating hallucinations feeling tortured, one an advocate fighting for treatment for her husband.  Drew and Maria Brophy’s story are really two stories.  Drew describes his long journey being ventilated either through intubation or tracheotomy, and his sensation of drowning, fighting for air. Maria doesn’t see a doctor for the first 19 days but stood outside Drew’s ground floor window, singing to him, playing music, talking to him in hope he would hear her voice.

Drew goes from a 210 lb man in excellent health at age 50.  Maria is faced with three options 1) Drew will improve, 2) he will require a lung transplant or 3) take him off life support and give in to the end of his life.  Drew describes in detail his near death experience while Maria frantically searches for experimental drugs and the right to try.  Maria was able to get doctor to change contents of feeding tube and Drew stopped vomiting.  However a change of doctors for two weeks became a new challenge.  He told Maria if we don’t get him out of here, he is going to try.  By a twist of fate, the hospital that was going to accept him, at the last minute, changed their minds.

Marie applied for and was granted the right to try the experimental drug, Invictadil. On January 13th, 2022, Drew was transferred to a Long Term Acute Care Hospital.  The doctor there thanked Marie for fighting for Drew’s life.  The long slow journey to recovery began. After eight months of drug withdrawal, coupled with physical therapy, high caloric diet of healthy foods, three weeks ago, Drew completed the long road back by tossing his oxygen cannula and finally breathing on his own.

This is an inspiring story of love, faithfulness, and fierce determination overcoming all the obstacles and adversities thrown at them.  Drew lives to share his experience as a survivor of hospital protocols gone awry.  Maria, “terrified of the power the hospitals hold”, overcame her fear and focused on her love and determination.  Together, they are unstoppable.