There's always hope if the heart is beating.

Jesse Ramirez was in persistent vegetative state for about a month. The doctors gave up on him. His wife wanted the feeding tube removed. Jesse's fate would have been death after nearly two weeks of starvation and dehydration. But his family managed to save his life.

Surprisingly, the court agreed that Jesse's spouse shouldn't be allowed to arbitrate his life, considering their recent marital strife. The feeding tubes were reconnected and Jesse Ramirez was given another chance. Few days later Jesse regained conscience.

He "can hug and kiss, nod his head, answer yes and no questions, give a thumbs-up sign and sit in a chair."

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Shows once again that doctors could be wrong, that even severe disability doesn't mean there's no chance for recovery.

Jesse Ramirez was lucky. Terry Schiavo wasn't. In both cases, it was a spouse, in fact - an "ex"-spouse who wanted them dead. But in Jesse's case, the judges agreed that a wife could have interests of her own, especially if there was a marital strife shortly before the accident. In Terry's case the courts decided that former husband's opinion should prevail even if Terry's family begged to save her life. In Jesse's case the feeding tube was reconnected. In Terry's case the judges argued that reinserting the feeding tube is "inhumane" as if starving a woman to death (Terry lasted 13 days without food and water) is the paradigm of humanity.

Jesse Ramirez, a man who has narrowly escaped euthanasia is now on his way to recovery. Let his story be a lesson to all of us - there's always hope if the heart is beating. Stopping an innocent beating heart should never be allowed.