Fritzl girl wakes from coma and is reunited with her family
By Michael Leidig in Vienna
telegraph.co.uk
Last Updated: 10:12PM BST 09/06/2008
Kerstin Fritzl, who was held captive by her father in a dungeon in Austria, has woken from a seven-week coma and been reunited with her mother and the rest of her family at a secure medical ward.
Kerstin, along with her mother Elisabeth and two brothers, was imprisoned from birth by her father Josef Fritzl
Doctors were unsure how Kerstin - who had only ever seen her mother Elisabeth and two brothers, as well as her father, Josef Fritzl - would react when she woke from her coma and were keen to make sure the family was reunited as soon as she became conscious.
Kerstin, 19, was allowed out of the dungeon on April 19 after falling gravely ill, triggering a series of events which led to her mother Elisabeth, 42, and two other imprisoned brothers, Felix, 5, and Stefan, 18, being released from the cramped cellar under their home in Amstetten.
She had become desperately sick, probably because she had suffered a life without fresh air, light, exercise or a good diet. In a rare act of mercy, Fritzl, 73, chose to release her and take her to hospital after she collapsed in his underground lair.
Doctors made an appeal on national television to find her mother, who, Fritzl claimed, had run off to a sect. Police visited Fritzl's home and discovered his secret "second family".
None of the three children held underground had ever seen daylight before. They were released to be reunited with their three other siblings - Lisa, 16, Monika, 14, and Alexander, 12 - who were living above ground after being taken in by Fritzl on the pretence they had been abandoned.
Doctors put Kerstin into an induced coma to allow her to recover and have been preparing for her to wake to an entirely new life.
As soon as it was clear she was awake they moved her as fast as possible to be reunited with her mother and brother's in a special room designed to recreate the cellar environment at the Amstetten-Mauer clinic.
Rumours spread yesterday that she had recovered from her coma and were later confirmed by hospital authorities.
According to the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF's Lower Austrian regional studio, the teenager was transferred to her mother's side before the move was made public.
This would mean Kerstin has met her mother Elisabeth for the first time outside the dungeon. There was no further information about her health. She would also, for the first time, be aware that people outside her family existed.
Medics feared Kerstin - the first child born to Elisabeth during her 24 years in captivity - would die when she suffered multiple organ failure and was hooked up to a life support machine. Last month, there were unconfirmed reports she had showed flickers of life and at one point had opened her eyes.
It was also reported that police will quiz Kerstin on whether Fritzl sexually abused her, and will also quiz her brothers about their ordeal underground.
Elisabeth, who had been imprisoned by Fritzl as a sex slave since she was 18, is on the mend with her five other children in a separate clinic near the hospital. Her mother, Rosemarie, 69, has also gathered strength after health problems sparked by the discovery of her husband's "second family". The family recently symbolised Kerstin's presence by circling her name with a heart in a poster of personal messages which was released to the public.
The family are expected to stay in their clinic for several months while doctors and counsellors prepare them for the outside world.
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Last edited by PerryPeabody on Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
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SchmertyPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:14 pm
This is truly wonderful. God be with Kerstin & her family as the take this monumental step towards mental recovery & physical healing. Strong positive vibes & prayers go out to them
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SavannahStarPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:20 pm
Great news!
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PerryPeabodyPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:45 pm
SavannahStar wrote:
Great news!
Isn't it! I can't stop smiling.
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gwenPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:28 pm
Wonderful news!!! Thanks, perry!
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tulsadPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:29 pm
PerryPeabody wrote:
Isn't it! I can't stop smiling.
Thank you for finding the article, Perry! What heartening news!
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olympicPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:33 pm
things are looking up for them, they deserve many great things....i still question the fact is it virtually possible for a woman to give birth, without assistance?
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prolificPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:35 pm
Thanks Perry..made me teary eyed.
A new world awaits her.
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Myra ManesPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:23 pm
tulsad wrote:
Thank you for finding the article, Perry! What heartening news!
Ditto from me ........ this is great news and very heartwarming! I hope for the absolute best for all of them!
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Myra ManesPosted:
Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:26 pm
prolific wrote:
Thanks Perry..made me teary eyed.
A new world awaits her.
It really does! Life is definitely looking up for the whole family..........
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Black-TulipPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:58 am
Woman, 19, in Austria cellar incest case rejoins family Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:45am EDT
By Alexandra Zawadil
ZEILLERN, Austria (Reuters) - The eldest child of an incestuous relationship between Austrian Josef Fritzl and the daughter he confined for 24 years has been reunited with her family after recovering from an artificial coma, doctors said.
Doctors also said on Wednesday the whole family -- Fritzl's daughter Elisabeth and the six surviving of seven children she bore him while locked in a cellar -- had been moved into a house on hospital premises to promote a normal living environment.
Fritzl, 73, in investigative custody since the case was exposed in April, marooned Elisabeth, now 42, in a windowless basement under his house in the central town of Amstetten -- a marathon, bizarre ordeal that scandalized the world.
"The reunion of (Elisabeth's eldest daughter) Kerstin with her family a few days ago was a moving moment, and for us the surprising recuperation of Kerstin was a great relief," Berthold Kepplinger, director of the central Austrian hospital where Fritzl's victims have been treated, told a news conference.
Kerstin was expected to make a "full recovery", he said.
Kerstin, 19, who was placed into an artificial coma after she suffered cramping fits due to oxygen deficiency and kidney problems, opened her eyes on May 15. After therapy to restore mobility, she rejoined her family on Sunday, doctors said.
Albert Reiter, the family's doctor, glowingly described how he was able to escort Kerstin into her new home.
"It was an extraordinary moment for me last Sunday when Kerstin, holding my arm, and I were able to walk through the door into a new home, crossing the threshold into a new life," Reiter said.
"The entire family is very happy that they are all together for the first time," said their lawyer, Christoph Herbst.
Three of the seven children of the incestuous liaison, the youngest of whom is now aged five, were incarcerated with their mother, while another three were raised by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie as their own. One child died shortly after birth.
Prosecutors are investigating Fritzl for coercion, rape, incest and the death of the baby, though he has not been charged. Police say he has admitted incarceration and incest.
Rosemarie is not under suspicion and is with the rest of the family at the residence on the hospital grounds in Amstetten.
The cellar victims are receiving further therapy there as well as schooling and other guidance to start preparing them for life in the outside world.
The case came to light two months ago after Kerstin fell seriously ill and was brought to the hospital by Fritzl.
Herbst said Elisabeth did not plan to discuss the case in public and urged a curious international media to let the family build a normal life in privacy.
(Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Die älteste Tochter von Elisabeth Fritzl lebt wieder mit der Familie zusammen. Sieben Wochen lag die 19-Jährige im künstlichen Koma. Auf einer Pressekonferenz beschrieben die Mediziner, wie sie Kerstin aus dem Tiefschlaf holten.
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HanniePosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:31 am
I'm very happy to hear that!
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PerryPeabodyPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:36 am
Thanks so much, B-T.
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PerryPeabodyPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:48 am
More:
Josef Fritzl's oldest child reunited with family - and keen to go to a Robbie Williams concert
Bojan Pancevski in Amstetten From Times Online
June 11, 2008
Josef Fritzl fathered seven children by his own daughter after locking her in a dungeon below his house in Austria
The oldest child Josef Fritzl fathered by his own daughter is on the road to a full recovery after being reunited with her family – and the first thing she has asked for after a lifetime of imprisonment in a dank cellar is to go to a Robbie Williams concert.
Doctors treating the Fritzl family have described the “emotional reunion” as well as the dramatic moment when Kerstin, 19, awoke after spending over a month in coma. She is now living together with her mother Elisabeth, 42 and the six surviving siblings, as well as her grandmother and Fritzl’s wife Rosemarie, 68, in a new apartment made available by the hospital they are being treated in.
Kerstin, 19, is the first of seven children that Fritzl, 73, fathered with his own daughter Elisabeth as he kept her captive in a purpose-built dungeon beneath his house in the town of Amstetten for more than 24 years, sexually abusing her for the whole time.
One of the children, a baby boy called Michael, died after birth, leading Fritzl to burn his body in an incinerator. The case only came to light when Kerstin had to be taken to a hospital on April 19, doctors putting her into an artificial coma following a multiple organ failure caused by an unknown illness.
“She opened her eyes for the first time at 9am on May 15 and slowly started showing signs of emotional reaction. We smiled at her and she smiled back. Later I said “hi” to her and she replied with a “hallo”. It was an intensely dramatic moment,” Dr Albert Reiter, who has been in charge of Kerstin’s treatment, told a press conference.
“I am especially proud that Kerstin could walk the distance to her new residence and into her new life, “Dr Reiter said.
Kerstin saw daylight for the first time in her life after she awoke in the intensive care ward of the Amstetten Regional Hospital. According to Dr Reiter, the first wish she made to her carers was to go on a boat trip – and to visit a Robbie Williams concert. “Even immediately after she awoke she would listen to Robbie Williams until 3am. I then would have to intervene, for her to turn down the music and get some rest, “Dr Reiter said. According to him, Kerstin is able to read and write, communicates easily and is on the road to a full recovery.
Kerstin’s mother Elisabeth visited her daughter regularly in hospital but had to be transported in utmost secrecy in order to avoid the attention of the international press. Doctors also insisted on her presence for therapeutic reasons, and claim that her presence alongside Kerstin immediately after she woke had had an “immensely positive effect".
Cristoph Herbs, the lawyer who represents the Fritzls, described the successful family reunion as “miracle” and thanked the medical team for their achievement. He said: “It was a truly touching and happy moment. It was everyone’s – and especially Kerstin’s – great wish to be reunited. It was a miracle.”
Since their reunion, the family have lived in a new residence provided by the Amstetten Psychiatric Clinic where they are being treated. They are undergoing psychiatric counselling and family therapy, while the children are receiving private tuition. Kerstin will now be given a series of vaccinations to boost her feeble immune system and, depending on her wish, she could also be given counselling after preliminary medical treatment. She is currently suffering from so-called Bed Rest Syndrome, a fatigue of the nerves and the muscles flowing a prolonged period of immobility.
Dr Berthold Kepplinger, the head of the hospital where the family are being treated, said: “Kerstin is undergoing physiotherapy to regain muscle capacity. She is also traumatised and will probably need therapy, but we will consult with her on that matter and will not impose any decisions on her.”
It was also revealed that Kerstin had been examined to determine if she had suffered sexual assaults by her father, but doctors could not reveal details of the examinations.
Dr Kepplinger said that the family spoke of their father and that their relationship to him was “largely ambivalent”. He refused to elaborate, and only said: “There is a great ambivalence [regarding the father], especially with the girls. It is slightly different with the boys.”
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PerryPeabodyPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:57 am
Still more: Josef Fritzl case: daughter asks to attend Robbie Williams concertLee Glendinning guardian.co.uk
Wednesday June 11 2008
Kerstin Fritzl, the 19-year-old who was born in a dungeon prison and held captive there by her father, Josef, has woken from her coma and expressed a wish to attend a Robbie Williams concert and go on a boat ride.
Christoph Herbst, a lawyer for the family, said today that Kerstin was reunited with her family on Sunday after being woken from an artificially induced coma. She had been admitted to hospital unconscious and with multiple organ failure on April 19.
Kerstin is the eldest of seven children fathered by Fritzl, 73, with his daughter Elisabeth, 42. For her entire life, Kerstin was imprisoned in the basement of the family home in Amstetten, Austria.
It was her hospital admission that prompted the rest of the family in the house to be discovered. Doctors appealed on television for her mother to come forward because they needed information about her medical history.
Fritzl then accompanied his daughter Elisabeth, who had been held in the dungeon for 24 years, to the hospital.
Doctors expected Kerstin to develop normally and suffer no lasting damage. It is understood she can read and write and communicates well.
She was placed in the artificial coma after she suffered cramping fits due to kidney problems and oxygen deficiency.
Albert Reiter, her doctor, said she greeted him during a morning visit on June 1. "I say to Kerstin — 'Hello Kerstin' — and Kerstin tells me: 'Hello'," Reiter told a news conference in Zeillern today.
"It was an extraordinary moment for me last Sunday when Kerstin, holding my arm, and I were able to walk through the door into a new home, crossing the threshold into a new life," he said.
Doctors said Elisabeth had played a large role in her daughter's recovery, visiting regularly.
Berthold Kepplinger, the director of the psychiatric clinic where the reunited family is recovering, said Kerstin had expressed many wishes including going for a boat ride and a Robbie Williams concert. He said she had been lying in bed listening to the pop singer's music.
"The reunion of Kerstin with her family a few days ago was a moving moment. For us, the surprising recuperation of Kerstin was a great relief," Kepplinger said.
He said that while members of the family were in a "stable condition" they were developing at different speeds.
"For some ... a passing cloud is already a big deal, while others overlook such an event.''
Three of the seven children lived with their mother in the dungeon, while another three were raised by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie, in the house above ground.
While there were some concerns about the two sides of the family getting on when they met, their lawyer said it had gone very well.
"The entire family is very happy that they are all together for the first time," Herbst said.
"Everyone involved couldn't anticipate that this could happen so quickly and so positively."
Fritzl has confessed to the abuse and is being held in custody pending charges. Authorities decided to extend his pretrial custody by another two months on Friday.
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Myra ManesPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:00 am
Thanks for the updates Perry and BT ........... This great news!
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wildrosesPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:39 am
Hearing Kerstin is expected to have a full recovery is wonderful.
I am still amazed at what Elisabeth was able to accomplish with regards to caring for and teaching her children. She is a remarkable woman - a mother who truly loves her children.
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PerryPeabodyPosted:
Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:38 am
Briefing on Kerstin's recovery (translated) (after advertisement)
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Life is definitely looking up for the whole family..........
