A man, unable to properly recognize his mother, held a bed side vigil for the wrong patient. The mix-up left his real mother dead and alone in a nearby room.

Police may charge a California couple with neglect after they left their young children at home alone while they went to Las Vegas for the weekend. Police have not been to interview the parents of the 5- and 9-year olds because they have been delayed by bad weather, reports The Associated Press

American soap operas portray a complete an improbable rosy picture of coma patients' survival and recovery, with potentially emotionally disastrous consequences and misleading notions for viewers. Researchers who tracked storylines with coma patients for over 10-years, identified soap opera patients were far more likely to survive a coma than in real life. Survivors were also more likely to emerge unscathed and unharmed.

The saying "break a leg" took on a whole new meaning, and nearly spelled death for the bathing suit beauty Brook Burns. The beauty is planning a television comeback on the WB series ''Pepper Dennis" with Rebecca Romijn but plans were nearly put on hold for the actress indefinitely. Former ''Baywatch'' star Brooke Burns, who broke her neck last month after diving into her backyard pool, says she would be dead if it wasn't for a friend, and paramedic firefighter, saving her life.

Residents at the Deerings Nursing Home have a special secret Santa: 99-year-old Sybil Rice, who lives alone and makes gift baskets for them. On Monday, she and her family delivered 70 baskets to residents.