Terri's Story

Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation ^ | December 3,2006 | Schindler Foundation

[8mmMauser]

Theresa Marie Schindler was born to Robert and Mary Schindler on December 3, 1963. She was the first of three children the Schindlers would have.

Terri was a shy, but comical, child who had an affinity for music, animals and the arts. She kept a small circle of friends and was dear to schoolmates, neighboring families and her own extended family.

Following high school, Terri came into her own. She developed a knack for sketching and doodling. She enjoyed outings with her friends. She was an adoptive mother to the family’s dog, Bucky.

Terri attended Catholic School while growing up and remained close to her faith throughout her life.

In 1983, Terri met Michael Schiavo at Bucks County Community College and the two began dating. He was the first romantic interest Terri had.

The couple was engaged within a few months and married a year later at Terri’s church in Southampton, Pa. She was 21.

In 1986, Terri and Michael relocated to Pinellas County, Florida and her parents followed three months later.

In 1990, at the age of 26, Terri suffered a mysterious cardio-respiratory arrest for which no cause has ever been determined. She was diagnosed with hypoxic encephalopathy – neurological injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Terri was placed on a ventilator, but was soon able to breathe on her own and maintain vital function. She remained in a severely compromised neurological state and was provided a PEG tube to ensure the safe delivery of nourishment and hydration.

On March 31, 2005, Terri Schindler Schiavo died of marked dehydration following more than 13 days without nutrition or hydration under the order of Circuit Court Judge, George W. Greer of the Pinellas-Pasco’s Sixth Judicial Court. Terri was 41.

[bjs1779]

You guys always do just fine. If it makes it any easier, I will observe a Christmas cease fire also.

[NicknamedBob]

Why Were My Hopes So Hidden?

Why were my hopes so hidden?
They seemed a quite normal kind.
I just wanted children and family,
And watching our lives unwind.

Something has happened to me,
What it was I just cannot say,
How it happened or who did what,
That hurt me on that day.

At first, it was acceptable,
I felt love, and they gave me care,
In time, I guess I realized,
I wasn’t going anywhere.

And then, the days grew longer,
My visitor list grew short,
My diary held blank pages,
And that is my report.

It’s also condemnation,
For how my life has drained,
Out through the vacant window,
Of my vista now constrained.

I could have gone to parties,
With many a birthday chance,
I would have smiled at a party,
Even though I couldn’t dance.

So why were my hopes so painful,
To those who had starred in my dreams?
I’ve shrunken to life in a bird-cage,
Even that’s not enough for some schemes.

They debate about life that’s worth living,
But they don’t put their own lives in hock.
I’m inclined to believe that a just review,
Would have placed most of them into shock.

For the scales of true justice will measure,
The worth of those judging me,
And the hopes that I had that I treasure,
Far outshine any others I see.


NicknamedBob . . . . . December 10, 2006

[T'wit]

"Christmas be a day for fergettin' and most of all, Christmas be a day for fergivin'" -- Trapper John Norton

-- How John Norton, the Trapper, Kept his Christmas, by William Henry Harrison Murray; "Holiday Tales," 1897.

[T'wit]

Have a merry Christmas, and that's an order :-)

Now let me tiptoe out of here and let your poem catch every eye.

[8mmMauser]

Clearly the perp was a fathead,and sounds like the intended victim fired back with standard ball ammo, metal jacketed, so it did not deform. A better round would have expanded and emptied out anything serious between that spot and the fresh air on the other side of his head.

A glancing shot could well have deflected off the hard bone of the forehead, but I am mystified as to why it would be spent so quickly and just stay there.

It happens in hunting situations where a hunter tries to shoot a deer (or worse, a bear) between the eyes and the bullet skips off the top of the head into the woods leaving a very nervous deer or annoyed bear to confront.

I have no further explanation why it did not penetrate any further, except would throw away the rest of that box of ammo and buy better stuff.

[8mmMauser]

Merry Christmas to you with appreciation for your poignant tribute!



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and the White Rose

[8mmMauser]

As this eve of Christmas is upon us, I hope we can remember in our prayers those who have been touched by Terri and that those who suffer similar plights be comforted with blessings and our prayers. Some of our own group have been touched by family members and friends falling into peril this past year. May we remember them all in our prayers.

I took this extract from the book written by Terri's family, "A Life That Matters", and photos of Terri in happier times, a Christmas past.

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[BykrBayb]

Last time I saw Bobby, he looked just like he did in that first picture, only bigger. : )

[BykrBayb]

Oh my! That's beautiful.

[T'wit]

All I could think of was a light load and/or a frangible slug -- is that the right word? The slugs that guards pack in airliners to keep from penetrating the outer shell of the plane. Or, conceivably a spent ricochet -- but off of what? Very odd.

Meanwhile, darned if I can see a real privacy issue here :-) The perp is withholding evidence in a criminal case. If Bubba Clinton could be obliged to offer a DNA sample to compare to residues on the blue dress, this little thug should get his forehead fat emptied. (Since when do teen gang members have access to fancy civil rights lawyers?)

[T'wit]

I've never met Suzanne, but she was given the gift of beauty and you can see it already in these photos when she was a tot.

[BykrBayb]

In person, she is absolutely radiant.

[8mmMauser]

The only times I saw them was during the worst moments of stress one could imagine, yet the family stood out radiant, a real class act and the beauty of each shone through.

[8mmMauser]

If it were frangible, it would have shattered and caused great damage, I think, the energy spent and dispersed locally by the action of the fragmentation. That is why I thought it was a metal jacketed bullet which could ricochet off his forehead if at an angle without penetrating the skull and hitting any serious matter. Perhaps it passed through something already before striking, so that its velocity was sharply curtailed.

Think of a rock skipped across the water or across a fat head.

Isn't the perp in possession of private property, a bullet properly belonging to the victim? How can he keep something not his? Unless he thinks of it as a gift...

[T'wit]

Going back to the "intervention" non-issue, a new case of intervention has showed up. Only now, all of the good guys are baying and yipping for intervention. (All depends whose ox is gored, eh?) The case at hand is prosecutorial misconduct in the alleged Duke lacrosse team "rapes." Here is a sample of the artillery aimed at DA Mike Nifong:

>> Nifong faces a barrage of attacks on the federal and state level from foes who are determined to have him investigated, punished and disbarred for his actions in the rape case against three Duke University lacrosse players.

>> Dozens of people, some connected to the accused, have asked the governor and the state attorney general to intervene. Many have complained to the N.C. State Bar, the agency that licenses and disciplines lawyers. And a lawyer for one of the indicted players has urged members of Congress to have the U.S. Department of Justice open a civil-rights investigation.

Excuse me, but all we've heard for months from the talking heads, especially in the Democrat talking points for the recent elections, was how terrible, terrible, terrible it was to ask Congress to intervene to give Terri Schiavo a fair trial. Never once did we get a headline like "Controversy dogs biased judge in court-ordered death of handicapped woman." But when it comes to three Duke lacrosse players getting a fair trial, now we have to intervene at every level of government. They'll probably call in the United Nations soon.

Controversy dogs district attorney in Duke lacrosse case

[T'wit]

Yes. In a sense, Suzanne and Bobby are Terri's earthly presence. She is part of them. She still speaks to us through them.

[T'wit]

>> If it were frangible, it would have shattered and caused great damage

Yes, it should have. There was damage; there are bone fragments in the wound. Perhaps it did shatter and that's only one piece of it lodged in the fat. Maybe the rest bounced off hard skull. Unless they extract it, who knows? Something is on the fritz here, and I was just looking for a theory. This one is pretty far-fetched, if only because frangible slugs are not easy to come by.

[Lesforlife]

My favorite Christmas gift so far -

A friend at Denver Bible Church gave me a t-shirt saying:

Terri Schiavo
1963- 2005
Victim of the U.S. Judicial System
We will not forget!!

[Sun]

Thanks for those lovely pictures of Terri's family.

[8mmMauser]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

And for our troops we send Christmas greetings and prayers that you're all safely home with your families very soon! God Bless you one and all.

Jim and Sheila Robinson

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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