Tuesday 15th of April 1975 (x) — Karen Ann Quinlan suffers irreversible brain damage after experiencing an extended period of respiratory failure during a coma Quinlan became unconscious after arriving home from a party where she had consumed diazepam, dextropropoxyphene and Gin and Tonics. She was taken to a hospital where she lapsed into a persistent vegetative state for ten years. Around the time of the party Quinlan went on a radical diet in order to fit into a dress that she had bought.