A man who suddenly emerged from a coma 7 1/2 years after he was shot - but was still in grave danger from pneumonia - underwent surgery Thursday in a last-ditch effort to save his life. The operation went well, doctors said.
Gary Dockery, who amazed his family with his abrupt return to consciousness on Monday, had infectious fluid drained from his lungs. He opened his eyes after the operation was over.The family's decision to go ahead with the surgery was a tough one: Doctors had warned that the anesthesia could sedate forever the last working parts of the 42-year-old police officer's brain. But early indications show it was a success.
"The procedure and the anesthesia was totally uncomplicated," said Dr. James Folkening, who has been Dockery's physician since the shooting. "It went very well."
Folkening said an incision was made in the left lung to remove chronic infectious water and fluid, allowing the lung to expand more freely. Two chest tubes were also inserted to help keep fluid off the lung.
Dockery remained in the intensive care unit.
"He opened his eyes and seems to be responsive, but of course we can't assess his ability to verbally communicate with us at this time as long as he's intubated," Folkening said, referring to a tube inserted into Dockery's throat to provide oxygen.
Last week, seriously ill with a 104-degree fever and lung infection that had worsened to pneumonia, he was transferred from a nursing home to a Chattanooga hospital.
Fluid was removed from his lungs, and he was treated with antibiotics. When his fever broke, he started to mumble Monday. Then he spoke out distinctly to his sister.
"I looked up at him and he had a look I had never seen before," Lisa Dockery said through a hospital spokes-woman. "He seemed so at ease, and his eyes were wide open."
She told him, "I'm your sister."
"Uh-huh," he responded.
"You're talking!" she exclaimed.
"I sure am,"' he answered brightly.
He was quickly reunited with the two sons he had not seen for seven years and other relatives.
Thursday, the family asked Folkening not to answer any questions from reporters. He read from a statement, saying relatives were hoping to get some privacy. He did not say how long the operation lasted, but his briefing began about 2 1/2 hours after the surgery began.
On Sept. 7, 1988, Dockery answered a trouble call in Walden, a mountain town 15 miles northeast of Chattanooga where he worked as a policeman. He was shot point-blank with a .22-caliber derringer as he stood talking to the 911 caller in his driveway.
The shooter, Samuel Frank Downey, told officers he made the bogus call to get back at police for reprimanding him about noise after neighbors complained. Downey, 68, was sentenced to 37 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 1998.
Dockery drifted into a coma that limited him to occasional communication through blinking, grimacing or groaning. His family was never sure how much he really understood.
In the days since his awakening, Dockery has had some setbacks. He spoke less on Tuesday and not at all on Wednesday.
He remembered neither the shooting nor taking the Walden police job just three months before. He did recall his divorce and the eight years he spent with the Lookout Mountain police, and he recognized his sons.
He has no idea who is president. He was spared O.J. Simpson's murder trial. He has no concept of the Internet.
"There's not but one way to describe it," said family friend Tim Thompson. "It's a miracle of God."