Interesting.

Is this why they keep him in a coma? 7-8 years now?

He will be dead soon enough.

I have no idea why people want to be kept alive under such circuмstances nor why their children keep them alive.

What does it really matter whether you live to 70, 85 or 95?  It is not like those are really fun years where you are experiencing things for the first time.  If I could enjoy my late teens and 20s again I might spend hours each day watching my diet and exercising but for an extra 5 or 10 years at the end of my life, what is the point?

Reading the article below it appears he is little more than a corpse being stimulated like the legs of a dead frog.



But Mr Sharon has never emerged from his coma: he has been reduced to a permanent vegetative state and kept alive only by a comprehensive system of life support. A ventilator has breathed air into his lungs and a tube has passed essential nutrients directly into his stomach.
With these machines providing artificial breathing and feeding, it has proved possible to keep Mr Sharon alive for an extended period. He was moved to the Sheba Medical Centre, a long-term care facility near Tel Aviv, where a team of nurses kept watch, regularly moving his body to prevent pressure sores.
This form of intensive care has managed to keep Mr Sharon alive, but there has never been a chance of recovery. A hospital manager told the Israeli press that "his brain is about the size of a grapefruit," adding: "The part of the brain that keeps his body functioning – his vital organs – is intact, but beyond that there is nothing, just fluid."
Nonetheless, Gilad wrote that this father would occasionally respond to the presence of his sons.
"He lies in bed, looking like the lord of the manor, sleeping tranquilly. Large, strong, self assured. His cheeks are a healthy shade of red. When he's awake, he looks out with a penetrating stare," wrote Gilad.
One MRI scan last year showed unexpected activity within what remained of Mr Sharon's brain. With recovery ruled out, however, it was only a matter of time before he deteriorated to the point where even life support machines and constant care may not save him.

I doubt it somehow.  I crawled on the floor today after my kids and my knees were killing me.

Getting old is miserable.  I would certainly do as little as possible to prolong it.