Granny who “came back to life” was dead all along, says hospital director

The director of the Soon Udon Thani Hospital in Thailand’s north east  has said that the 70 year old woman who relatives thought had come back to life was dead all along. 

Relatives were shocked when Phinit Sophajorn, 70, opened her eyes and appeared to breathe.

Her husband aged 73 was washing her face in a final ritual before the coffin was sealed for cremation.

The ceremony was cancelled and she was taken home. 

Now it appears Phinit has actually died. 

Hospital director Dr Narong Thadadech said that the patient was transferred from Nong Han Hospital on the 7th of October with a blocked artery leading to the brain and thyroid problems. 

She was given oxygen and placed on a respirator.

By 20th October she was given little chance of recovery and relatives decided to take her home to die.

He said that the woman had died for two or three days but that her eyes may have opened due to a reflex action of certain cells brought on by the cold of a cooling coffin. 

There was no pulse and the body was limp indicating that she had died several days ago. After a 24 period of rigor mortis the body had relaxed. 

He reiterated that people were checked for brain death, heart function and breathing – if these vital signs were not present the patient was dead. 

Doctors usually perform such checks after accidents or sudden death but at home this might be ascertained by relatives. They could always call in doctors for confirmation, he said. 

Thai Visa / Siam Rath

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