A Clinton woman has emerged from a coma and has declared that her husband can make medical decisions for her if she cannot. That issue had been at the center of series of court actions while the woman was in a medically-induced coma.
Twenty-nine-year-old Tawnya Nissen had been under the guardianship of her father after her father raised concerns that her husband, Chris Nissen, would not allow a blood transfusion due to his Jehovah Witness religious beliefs. She had been in a medically induced coma after a reaction to diet pills.
No procedures involving a blood transfusion had been scheduled, but doctors said it was a possibility. Last week, after she came out of the coma, a judge ended her father’s guardianship after she showed she was able to make her own decisions.
In Johnson County Court on Monday, the Nissen’s attorney filed court documents to show that Tawnya Nissen had completed a power of attorney for health care and named her husband as her legal health care agent. She also stated she may accept some minor medical procedures involving her own blood, if it is discussed with her or her husband in advance.