In her lengthy coma, she showed states of both deep sleep and open-eyed unconsciousness and she grew slightly to 85 pounds (39 kg).
[2] Elaine survived numerous other conditions over the years, including additional abdominal surgery, pneumonia, the measles, and a collapsed lung.
[2] The family eventually moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida, and she was also taken to visit the Grotto at Lourdes, France, where her parents hoped for a miracle.
Esposito's story was brought back into attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the controversy surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state.
Coincidentally, Schiavo and Esposito were both being cared for in Pinellas County, Florida, at the time of their deaths, and they shared a birthday, December 3.