Defying odds

Teri Roberts’s family thought she didn’t have much time left. Weeks had passed since the 56-year-old Nebraska woman fell ill and was admitted to hospital with what she originally thought was a case of the flu. She was later diagnosed as having a Group A streptococcus infection and eventually developed toxic shock syndrome and fell into a coma. Her liver and kidneys shut down, and her chances for survival kept falling. As her condition continued to deteriorate, her family finally decided to take her off a ventilator. ‘‘The doctors were convinced that there was no hope,’’ her family recalled, ‘‘and delivered the news to her friends and family that we would lose our beloved Teri.’’ And that’s when Roberts woke up. ‘‘For whatever reason, it wasn’t her time yet,’’ her 35-yearold son, Ryan Roberts, said at a news conference. ‘‘She just magically woke up a little – about four hours before we took her off life support.’’

AUSTRALIA