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Miro Kuzmanovic / Reuters, file
Prince Johan Friso poses at the Austrian alpine ski resort of Lech on February 19, 2011. He gave up his right to the Dutch throne when he married a commoner.
AMSTERDAM -- Austrian doctors treating the Dutch Prince Johan Friso said Friday that he suffered "massive brain damage" after being buried by an avalanche last week and he may never regain consciousness.
Doctor Wolfgang Koller said MRI scans had showed his brain may have suffered lasting harm in the avalanche in Lech on Feb. 17.
"It is clear that the oxygen starvation has caused massive brain damage to the patient," Koller said. "At the moment, it cannot be predicted if he will ever regain consciousness."
The 43-year-old prince will be moved at a later date to a private clinic for further treatment but it may take years before he awakens, if ever.
Upscale resort
The prince was skiing with one companion near the upscale western resort of Lech but away from marked ski runs when the mass of snow, about 100 feet wide and 130 feet long, hit them around midday, the Austria Press Agency said.
The Dutch royal family often spends winter holidays in Lech in the province of Vorarlberg, which like other parts of Austria has been blanketed with heavy snow in recent weeks.
Prince Johan Friso's older brother is Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his younger brother is Prince Constantijn.
Dutch Prince Johan Friso remains hospitalized after being caught in an avalanche.
Johan Friso gave up his right to the Dutch throne when he married a commoner whose past was considered too tainted for her to become a member of the Dutch royal house.
When he asked for official permission in 2003 to marry Mabel Wisse Smit, Dutch media published details of her relationship with mobster Klaas Bruinsma, who was shot and killed in 1991 in front of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel.
Dutch prince's life 'still in danger'
Following the revelations, the couple decided not to get official permission for their marriage.
The London-based prince joined URENCO, a uranium enrichment company, in 2011 as chief financial officer after earlier working at investment bank Goldman Sachs.
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Leave a Comment:
What can one say to Oranien-Nassau Prinbce Johan Friso's family- neurosurgeons of different countries should be consulted - he was without oxygen for 23 minutes. He also had the rescue beeper device as did others in the Alps during the avalanches. Our thoughts and prayers should be with Johan Friso's family in these uncertain times.
The worst news is- his cardiac arrest (w/o heartbeat) lasted in toto for 50 minutes- the resuscitation efforts at the ski place by rescuers took too long a time- before airlifted in as helicopter to the Innsbruck Unviersity Hospital. That and the deprivation of oxygen caused massive brain damage. for further info go to http://diepresse.com/home/leute/mensch/734314/Prinz-Friso_Massive-Schaeden-am-Gehirn?_vl_backlink
The worse news is actually that this reminds me I forgot to buy the two pounds of Gouda I was supposed.
It is good that everyone's thoughts and prayers are with this guy. I plan on using the same time to teach about the dangers of skiing in places where they do not use morning canon to blow away the potential avalanche before it happens.
Oh I forgot, he was in the Alps, the fourth best place (at best ) to ski in the world. I'm not Canadian and even I know that Whistler is the best, followed by the snows in the US Rockies.
Mike - What does being Canadian have to do with this? You do realize that Canada was not even mentioned in the story, right?
Norway's King Hakon is Johan Freso's godfather- and at least Norwegians have manners in family tragedies. Johan Freso was sking with experts on the slope- three went unscathed. The Dutch Royal Family has a newborn relative- Princess ESTELLE SILVIA EWA MARY- weighing 3,280 g and measuring 51 cm. King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden is the grandpa and future Queen Victoria the mother.
Hoping for a full recovery.
Don't waste your time hoping for a recovery. I'm pretty sure (100% and counting) there is no man-made superhero (imbeciles and ignoramuses refer to this as 'god' ) anywhere who can or would do anything for this "deadhead".
Hope is good, if you have a lot of free time on your hands.
Matt-2631617: Gracious! What a downer you must be in person. Simple civil sympathy would dictate a totally different response and attitude. Hopefully, whoever has the unfortunate position as to know you personally I give them my sympathy!
My prayers to his family for GOD's intervention.
If there actually IS a 'god', where was his/her intervention when Friso needed it most?
I'm not religious at all but Dr. your an A-hole, if you don't believe keep your trap shut others may ......
I'm not religious at all but Dr. your an A-hole, if you don't believe keep your trap shut others may ......
Does it make you feel good that you are "praying" for this guy? I guess since you believe in the unbelievable, it is pointless to tell you to wake up and realize something. If you still need to believe in god or any other sort of 'feel good' pacifiers, you are as primitive as those terrorists that call their Pinocchio man Allah.
By the way, Rick-3608408 'isn't religious' (yeah, right!) but he is so full of guilt from whatever bullshYt religion he is a member, that he knows (somewhere in his head) that there is a god. If he doesn't say or think it out load, he gets nervous that 'god' will do something to him. Grow up!
^
What a bigoted moron. Do me a favor and find the nearest cliff and time yourself to see how fast you can reach the bottom.
This is an unfortunate situation , and God's speed for a speedy recovery , we hope and pray !!
Prince Johan Friso was employed by Goldman Sacs and left for employment with URENCO. Goldman Sacs have secrets to hide because of their connection with the Jarvis Group, UK and Mitt Romney USA.
This might not be an accident.
I hope the Prince recovers, best wishes for the future.
Oh, for Pete's sake.
Yeah, right. Someone was following him around until he saw the opportunity to bury him under an avalanche.
Wow, so sad. Hope he recovers. Thoughts and prayers to all.
Sometimes very cold temperatures, as in an avalanche or in ice-crusted water, can prevent damage to the brain. Let's hope and pray the tests are not telling everything and that the prince will make a complete recovery. My prayers go out to him and his family.
i agree with rick some ppl should jst shut up about talking about ppl who belive in god im a beliver but i dnt go arround and insult ppl for wat they belive in and on the other hand i hope he recovers and awakes
@ John Alan Noah & Rick-3608408
That is usually the problem: as soon as it becomes too complicated to answer, the non-believers have to 'shut up'. That, of course, is the easiest response.
Why don't you answer my question instead?
Another 1%'er gets his.
You sure like buzz-words, don't you?
wow... some of these posts!!! I hope her gets well... prayers ti him and his family
Condolences to his family and friends.
The poor man is in a sad situation, and his family. Kudos to those posters who have some respect for a fellow human being - why use this site to argue about whether there is a deity or not? Let's at least display some kindly humanism.
You have no idea how I feel about this tragedy. Unlike others, I do not need to ventilate this.
It probably makes you all feel better (and important) by your own POSTER, and by supporting other POSTERS!
My question still stands: if and when there exists a 'god', then where was s/he when Friso needed the 'intervention' most?
It must be wonderful to leave all responsibilities with something invisible and untouchable, instead of taking full responsibility for what you have done. And when you have to show face because they 'caught' you (you with your neighbour's wife, a priest with a child, a drunk-driver with 3 corpses, a thief with the loot) - oh, well, then you can always go and talk to god's middleman and you'll be forgiven .....
If you don't need to ventilate this, then why are you running your mouth?
Dr. U.I. Loor - it's pointless to waste your time with the ignorant. They will answer your question with their usually comeback, which is that man has free will and it was his free will to be on that mountain. Never mind that they have no explanation for why a deity didn't intervene when he needed help.
I do realize that, Atticus.
God for an adult is a bit like Santa Clause for a child - when there's a chance of getting something out of it, you believe in their existence.
I am feeling bad for his two young daughters who may grow up without a dad.
As for him, I don't feel anything. He was OUT of marked ski run area. There is a reason there are marked ski runs and that you should not wander outside these boundaries. You take your life in your hands, litterally. Too bad. Not the first time someone thinks he can go outside of the trail with no consequence and not the last one, unfortunately.
How this man must have loved his family to give up his royal position. I am so very sorry for his family. He sounds like he was a very kind and good man. What an absolute tragedy.
"She was considered to tainted to be royalty". What is this? The dark ages? I wonder how that makes his kids feel? If she was tainted, then does that mean his kids are too? Growing up without a dad to protect them from the "royalty", I feel sorry for them.
She had a relationship with a druglord among others. I suppose for you it doesnt matter if Sasha and Malia dated druglords and Bosnian leaders that went to prison and then make a wager for the presidency? GOPs wishes come true...
Even for Dutch standards it shouldnt have happened.
And we saw the "tainted" princess with her arm around the queen, as they walked into the hospital together. Social standing obviously did not matter very much to them then.
Please, people...be kind! Anyone could find themselves and/or their family in a tragic situation at any time regardless of their social or economic position in life, their personal beliefs or their decisions both guarded and rash. The point is that a human being beloved by other human beings is gravely ill and whether or not he will recover is deeply in question. There isn't much that any of us can do for him or his loved ones but we *can* be kind to them and to each other. We *can* think of them and hope for the best even if science tells us that such a "miracle" would be impossible. We, none of us, should strive for such hard-heartedness as I have seen, here. Our very humanity is at stake when we treat each other with such disdain. Pray if you believe, hope if you don't but, please, above all be kind!
AngieS,
Well said!
Dear believers in God: There is no God. Sorry, but unfortunately there is not. We now have scientific knowlege which we did not have even 150 years ago. God is a myth.
BBD-I hope for your sake you are right. I would rather believe in something and find out in the end it is not true then not believe and suffer the consequences. I'm not looking for an argument...just stating my opinion.
And who made you King and master of all?
That was for Big Black Dog
Big Black Dog,
Please don't tell me how or what to believe.
And as a suggestion, you would be wise not to put too much stock in all the science ground we have covered in the 150 years you spoke of. Sure, we can save lives with better medical technology, and yes, we have learned a tiny bit about the universe, but the more we learn, the more we realize what we DON'T know. As for me, I can't accept that this life is nothing but a huge cosmic accident.
So that being said, God be with this Prince and his family.
I hope for the best for Prince Johan Friso's recovery and my prayers are with him and his family during this trying time.
I agree with Whynot-3744228, the reward definitely outweighs the risk.
Believing in something good that happens to be intangable is called Good Faith which none of the antagonists posting on this thread seem to have. Oh they have what appears to be a great deal of Non Faith and wish to spread it around and lash out at those of us who have Good Faith.
As human beings, we are mortal and eventually we all have to face consequences for the decisions we make, however good or bad they may be. As for our soul/spirit, I choose to believe mine is immortal and believe when my body dies my soul/spirit will live on in a state of being so wonderful I cannot totally comprehend as a mortal human being. To those who may believe the same as I do, Rejoice!! Our rewards await us and we will all be together in the end. For those who don't believe as I do, Rejoice!! Your reward will be waiting for you.
I may not believe in things the way you do, but I will defend to the death your right to believe them.
Please stop all the hating.
Freewill is a wonderous and dangerous thing.
I really wasn't going to get involved with this god argument, but you two tripped my trigger with this rebuttal.
You promote believing in god because of the possible consequences if you don't? Can you spell the word
h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y?
IF there was a god, don't you think he'd be wise to that ploy?
If I were god, I would have more mercy on a sincere and honest person who didn't believe over a coward who "believed" in an effort to avoid possible punishment. Grow up. There is no daddy-god in the sky who is going to spank you.
If there is so much damage perhaps it would be a blessing for Mabel and her two daughters, the Queen and siblings, to say their good-byes and let Prince Frios go to his eternal rest. I pray for the strength of the Queen and the wife as well as his two daughters. Such a tragedy.
From absolute 1st hand experience, I hope the family holds on to hope! Do NOT give in to pressure to 'donate his organs' and end his struggle! My wife suffered a traumatic brain injury due to anoxia in 2001 and lay in a non-responsive coma for 22 days. The 1st week, family members were consoling me and suggesting to me to donate her organs and "ACCEPT" this tragedy but I refused! 2nd & 3rd weeks were even more pressure. Even the Drs. They were more concerned about having another bed available--but when they realized we had excellent insurance that was covering all of this--they continued to let me have my 'hope.' On day 22, her finger twitched in the morning. By noon, I looked over at her and she was laying there looking around the room! She couldn't speak due to a tracheotomy--but her eyes started tearing. Long story short, after a long summer of physical, cognitive and occupational therapies, she was starting to rebuild her new life. I've never left her side. The damage to her short term memory was very evident and we had some symptoms similar to someone with bipolar disorder and mania thrown in for good measure--but once the neurologists and I figured out medicines that would ease those symptoms, she has had a good quality of life and continues to do so--even though she is "disabled." I did not succumb to the pressures of letting her go early and I hope these people don't for this man. My wife was without oxygen for about as long as he was and at first, it really was grim--but she surprised us all and I think if this guy is anything like her--he will too! DON'T GIVE UP!
God Bless you and your wife, Mikn
This is the down side of modern medicine. People being kept "alive" when in the past they would have died. Terrible for families to have to go through this kind of thing.
I do wish him well for his family's sake. BUT let us not forget that the Prince chose to ski off trail! Very irresponsible for a father of young children. One important part of parenthood is that you can't take great risks like you could when you were childless. I would not let my hubby drive his motorcycle when the kids were little!! When you have a family, you have to put them first and your desires second.
So where are all the folks that called Jamie Pierre a reckless thrill junkie who deserved his death at now?
Remember? The people who claimed that Search and Rescue for people in an avi was a horrible waste of taxpayer money?
I guess if a professional skier dies in an avalanche, they deserve it, but if it's a dutch prince it's a horrible tragedy?
I do realize that, Atticus.
God for an adult is a bit like Santa Clause for a child - when there's a chance of getting something out of it, you believe in their existence.
My prayers are with the Prince, and those who love him. May God bless and keep them.
People do wake up from comas. I know the royal family will give him a lot of time. I wish him the best.
And....this is also a teachable moment for skiing safety (don't ski beyond the roped areas), and for rescue workers (get the patient to the hospital....fast).
And Rick Santorum chose this moment to attack Holland for its euthanasia policies, saying that many people were euthanized against their will...without, of course, presenting a shred of evidence. The man has no sensitivity, no tact and possibly no decency, either. I just hope the Dutch know that many of us Americans despise Mr. Sanitarium as much as they do, and are hoping and praying for their prince's recovery.
Thank you, Cassandra - from a Dutchie! I really appreciate your comments and prayers.