Posted on 04/08/2005 6:59:28 AM PDT by StacyGuay
85 year-old Mae Margourik of LaGrange, Georgia, is currently being deprived of nutrition and hydration at the request of her granddaughter, Beth Gaddy. Mrs. Margourik suffered an aortic dissection 2 weeks ago and was hospitalized. Though her doctors have said that she is not terminally ill, Ms. Gaddy declared that she held medical power of attorney for Mae, and had her transferred to the LaGrange Hospice. Later investigation revealed that Ms. Gaddy did not in fact have such power of attorney. Furthermore, Mae's Living Will provides that nutrition and hydration are to be withheld only if she is comatose or vegetative. Mae is in neither condition. Neither is her condition terminal.
Furthermore, under Georgia law, if there is no power of attorney specifying a health care decisionmaker, such authority is given to the closest living relatives. Mae's brother, A. B. McLeod, and sister, Lonnie Ruth Mullinax, are both still alive and capable of making such decisions. They opposed Mae's transfer to hospice, and are fighting to save her life. But in spite of the lack of a power of attorney, and the fact that there are closer living relatives who should be given precedence by Georgia law, Ms. Gaddy sought an emergency appointment as guardian from the local probate court. The probate judge, Donald Boyd (who, I am told, is not an attorney and does not have a law degree), granted Gaddy's request, thereby giving her the power to starve and dehydrate Margourik to death, though such an action is contrary to the provisions of the living will.
I have spoken to Kenneth Mullinax, Mae's nephew, and he has confirmed all the above. He also tells me that he believes that Ms. Gaddy has no bad motives, but is simply misguided and mistaken. Mullinax said that Ms. Gaddy has testified in court that she has "prayed over" Mae, and is convinced that it is "time for her to go". Whether the fact is relevant or not remains to be seen, but apparently Ms. Gaddy is also the sole beneficiary of Mae's will.
Kenneth has told me that they need help in getting the word out, and bringing Mae's case to the media's attention. Given the amount of coverage of the Holy Father's death, that may be difficult. But we have to raise the visibility of this case. They have another hearing coming up, and Kenneth indicated that they also may need expert assistance, both legal and medical.
The similarities of Mae Margourik's situation and Terri Schiavo's are obvious: Once again we have a family divided over what care should be given to a seriously ill relative. And once again, we have a judge playing God with someone's life. But what is different, and in a sense worse, is that Mae is being deprived of food and water in clear contravention of her own stated wishes, and at the request of someone who should have no standing under Georgia law.
More information is available at Blogs For Terri. If you want to contact Kenneth Mullinax to get more information or to offer help, you may e-mail him at mockingbird@compuhelp.net.
I think anyone who don't know what is going on needs to read this update....the family members in Alabama who have tried to make this a large ordeal for media attention and greed have taken Ms. Magouirk to Alabama and now THE DOCTORS WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY HAVE FOUGHT FOR HER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE LAGRANGE HOSPICE!!!!!!! THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAT THEY CAN DO THAT THE HOSPICE WASN'T ALREADY DOING. Her living will does not say that she wanted to be kept alive...that was exaggerated for purposes of trying to justify a fight over Ms. Magourik. She now has fluid and blood building up around her lungs and the doctors can't figure out where or why it is there. She is too weak to be moved back to LaGrange now that she has been put through all of this. Ms. Magouriks' wish was not to be put in a nursing home, that is why her family put her in the hospice, because we all know that nursing homes are not the best place for care. Ms. Magouirk was as happy as she could have been and if she were in a good state of mind she would be very angry at the family in Alabama fortrying to use her for this type of attention. It is ashame the things people do for attention and greed.
I would also like to add that people trying to call and contactthe family involved ought to be ashamed for saying the things and doing the things that they have. They have nearly given the entire family a nervous breakdown. Let me also remind you that Ms. Gaddy has been taking care of Ms. Magouirk, not her nephew or brother. They maybe visited once a year if even that. Also Ms. Magouirks' nephew and brother have been contact Ms. Gaddy and her family making elaborate lies such as,.... someone in their family had a massive heart attack over this...., unfortunatley I have experienced this in my immediate family, my mother died of one, and any doctor will tell you a MASSIVE HEART ATTACK kills you or vegatates you. I just have to say this, get facts not hear say. I would not be so upset if the fact was her family actually had good intentions, but it is strictly over ATTENTION AND GREED. LET MS. MAGOURIK ENJOY THE TIME SHE HAS LEFT WITH HER REAL FAMILY WHO HAS TAKEN CARE OF HER FOR 10 YEARS, TOOK HER FOOD EVER DAY SHE COULDN'T COOK , WHO TOOK HER ANYWHERE SHE NEEDED TO GO, WHO HAVE LOVED HER FROM THE DAY THEY WERE BORN. Is there anything called private family matters anymore? Would you want your dying grandmother and your family put htrough this?? Think about this the next time you try to play the martyr by posting a comment. I ask that anyone who is normal please get the word out so that Ms. Gaddy and her family can get back to normal living. Please pray for Ms. Magouirk and her family and pray for those who are hypocritical.
troll alert!
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