Her husband, Michael Schiavo, who witnessed her collapse, says that Terri, then 26, had a heart attack caused by a low potassium level—possibly due to an eating disorder. This is the theory Michael, a nurse and respiratory therapist, successfully presented in a malpractice suit against Terri’s doctors. The jury award was over $1 million: $300,000 for Michael’s loss of companionship and $750,000 for Terri’s ongoing care and rehabilitation.
Another theory as to what happened is based on a recently discovered 1991 total-body scan, taken after her collapse and resultant brain damage. That scan reveals a history of severe physical abuse. "Somebody worked her over real good," concluded a doctor after reviewing the scan. During a court hearing, another doctor testified that, when she was brought into the emergency room, she had a "suspiciously rigid neck" and that the only other time he had seen this in a cardiac patient was in the case of an attempted strangulation. Despite the doctors’ findings, Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge George Greer—who has consistently ruled in Michael’s favor—refused to allow discovery of this body-scan evidence during the November 2002 hearing. Greer ultimately ruled that Terri is in a permanent vegetative state (PVS) and, therefore, there is no hope of recovery. The judge also granted Michael’s petition and ordered the removal of Terri’s feeding tube. He later stayed that order pending an appeal filed by Terri’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, who had obtained numerous opinions from neurologists and therapists that Terri is not PVS. (See Terri's Fight website for more information.)
Yet, when Michael testified at the malpractice proceedings in hopes of getting a sizable
TAMPA BAY, October 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Florida State Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, has decided to launch an investigation into the spousal abuse claims of the parents of Terri Schiavo. The severely disabled Florida woman whose life
was spared by an executive order by Governor Jeb Bush to halt her court-ordered starvation, has, according to experts, sustained injuries consistent with abuse.
Michael Schiavo, Terri's estranged husband, who has been in a long-fought court battle with Terri's parents to end her life, fuelled suspicions of abuse when he sought and was
granted a court order that Terri's remains would be cremated immediately following her death. Terri's parents, the Schindlers, were requesting an autopsy.
Other factors pointing to abuse include:
- Testimony of nurses who looked after Terri indicated that Michael was verbally abusive to Terri and may have attempted to kill her by insulin injection and
attempts to induce pneumonia by turning the thermostat in her room to 64 degrees.
- Michael Baden, one of the most acclaimed forensic experts in North America, in an interview on Fox News National Television broadcast Saturday said Terri's bone scan
indicates that Terri's injuries are not consistent with the suggested explanation of a heart attack or potassium imbalance. He said they are consistent with
severe trauma possibly caused by a beating and would warrant an immediate investigation.
- Dr. William Hammesfahr, Nobel prize nominee and neurologist, testified that Terri's neck injuries are consistent with only one type of injury: that of
strangulation.
Commenting on the case, Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said, "It would come as no surprise to me that she had been abused previous to her disability,
knowing that since1993 she has received continuous abuse by being denied basic medical care, visitation of loved ones, religious visits, and any form of rehabilitation."
Schadenberg warned however that the practice of euthanasia by withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from people who are not otherwise dying is common both in the United States and Canada. He pointed out that the argumentation around the case is not addressing the central point that nutrition and hydration should not be considered medical treatment.
He noted that a 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision wrongly allowed nutrition and hydration to be considered medical treatment.
E-mail from Juan Schoch regarding "retained rights":
(Gov. Jeb Bush, his lawyers, key senators, Bob Marshall and others (as my
witness) were e-mailed the following.)
All,
Guardian Ad Litem Jay Wolfson is now on record (see below) anent being aprised that Terri Schindler Schiavo is being denied her retained rights to rehabilitation and being brought to full capacity at the soonest possible time - something which he failed to address in his report.
Wolfson's bias to see Terri dead readily shows from
his report and readily shows from the conversation below. Since when does getting rehabilitation for a certain period of time (if his assertion is true) preclude the retained rights under law regarding rehabilitation? There is no time limit in the laws in regards to rehabilitation as it is a retained right.
It doesn't stop after the asserted (supposed) time period of 4 years. Contrary to what Michael Schiavo's attorney George Felos asserts: that every day that Terri's feeding tube is not removed is a violation of her rights, my
contention is that every day that goes by that Terri does not receive rehabilitation and attempts are not made to bring her back to full capacity at the soonest possible time are violations of her rights (retained rights of the disabled) under State of Florida laws. One individual I am in contact with states that it took 3 years to bring her daughter to the point of being able to pass a swallow test, 3 years of rehabilitations, therapies, etc.
just for this purpose. Terri should not be made to perform at the snap of the fingers, etc. She should not be tested and judged thereby without the rehabilitations, therapies that would lead up to being tested. In regards to responsiveness I would also assert that if Terri is
highly medicated that may be a factor in regards to responsiveness as well. I cannot stress enough the importance of the fact that Terri is being denied rehabilitation and being brought to full capacity. This all leads to purposeful neglect (another violation under State of Florida laws). When are our elected officials going
to do right by Terri?
Where is the DCF? All I can say is that an accounting is being made, officials are being aprised, and the
failure to act is being duly noted. It is not enough that Terri is getting hydration and nutrition. Please let us know what is being done to get Terri the urgently needed, regular and meaningful rehabilitations, etc.
Regards and thanks in your helping of Terri,
Juan Schoch
Concerned Florida Resident
United States Citizen
http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/c/pc93/terri_schindler_life_ribbon_campaign.htm
#1. There is not speculation about what caused Terri to fall. She fell when she went into cardiac arrest.
#2. Terri did not have a heart attack.
#3. Regarding the "abuse", her parents and doctors didn't notice broken bones or bruising. Don't you find that odd?
The doctors who were sued for malpractice didn't use as their defense that she was abused or that MS tried to kill her.
We continually hear about "all those broken bones...broken leg, broken pelvis, head injury, broken back..."
If you read the full, unedited deposition of the radiologist, and the finding of Greer, you see that
a) it was never hidden from the Schindlers, as so often claimed, and
b) there were not the broken bones that are being flaunted.
First, remember that a bone scan is very non-specific - it only shows where there is calcium uptake more or less.
Also remember that the radiologist said he calls any discontinuity of bony substance a "fracture". He had never laid eyes on Terri Schiavo, or knew what her condition was, or why the scan was ordered.
Here is what was described in the deposition:
-Possible fractures of 2 or more bilateral costovertebral junctures - where the ribs meet the vertebrae. (This could be a result of resuscitation efforts, or even severe seizures in a woman with bulimia-induced osteopenia)
- Compression fracture of 1st Lumbar vertebra (same as above, or her fall)
- Bruised femur just above her right knee.
The rest of the so-called "fractures" were deemed by her attending physicians, who specialize in such matters, to be joint problems common among bedridden patients undergoing therapy. Her doctors ordered the bone scan because of this, and treated the hot joints.
Her right knee was stiff within the first 8 days - look at the bottom of the discharge summary - they x-rayed it on 3-5-90, and it showed no bony problems.
She also had a neck x-ray right off, and it showed nothing but the spastic rigidity mentioned above.
Also note that since Dr Michael Baden's comments of Oct, 2003 touted so often, he has said that what he sees of her is consistent with cardiac arrest as a result of a bulimia induced electrolyte imbalance.
Terri's neck was stiff when she admitted to the hospital; her medical discharge summary says she had a stiff neck "and all other muscles in her body were stiff" - which is "normal" under those circumstances. It is a common condition of neck spasticity called opisthotonus - a contraction of the neck muscles, which goes along with her global spasticity and seizures caused by the anoxic brain injury. 2002transcripts.htm
-how did her potassium get so "severely" and acutely low, surely not from "abuse";
-explain her chemical profile, (malnourishment, low calcium, hypopotassemia);
-why did he call for help at that hour; he could have just let her die, she wasin cardiac arrest;
-why no outward signs of such a beating;
-why insist on cremating her when it means an autopsy must be done;
-why ask for an investigation into the cause of her collapse by defensive medical doctors? (malpractice trial) And why would not those doctors be speaking up now?
and finally,
Why wasn't there an "attack theory" brought up at the malpractice trial, or by the Schiavos' insurance companies, if there were such "evidence" of abuse?