Edwarda O'Bara, Miami woman, dies after 42 years in a coma

MIAMI (AP) -- A Miami woman who spent 42 years in a coma has died.

The Miami Herald reports Ewarda O'Bara was a high school student in 1970 when she fell ill, threw up her medicine and slipped into a diabetic coma. She passed away Wednesday at age 59.

The Herald reports that before the teen lost consciousness, she asked her mother, Kay O'Bara, to never leave her side. She kept her promise, taking care of her daughter until she died five years ago. That's when Colleen O'Bara stepped in and continued taking care of her sister in the Miami Gardens home.

Kay O'Bara was a devout Catholic who said she felt the presence of the Virgin Mary in her daughter's room. That led Dr. Wayne Dyer to write a book.