Posted on 04/07/2005 2:59:57 AM PDT by schmelvin
For Immediate release! To: All media, and supporters of life. From: The Family of Mae Magouirk Date: April 6, 2005 Contact: Kenneth Mullinax - Mockingbird@compuhelp.net
Shiavo case revisited in Georgia
Mae Magouirk…not comatose …not vegetative …not terminal
Why is Hospice LaGrange, Ga. withholding nourishment?
(LaGrange, Georgia) Mae Magouirk is being withheld nourishment and fluids and the provisions of her Living Will are not being honored at the Hospice-LaGrange, (1510 Vernon Street, LaGrange “Troup County” Georgia, 706-845-3905) a subsidiary of the LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange Georgia. Her family is desperately seeking to save her life before she dies of malnourishment and dehydration.
Mae Magouirk IS NOT comatose and she IS NOT vegetative. She is not terminal!
Despite these facts the Hospice and Beth Gaddy, a school teacher at LaGrange’s Calloway Middle School and granddaughter of Mae Magouirk have been denying her proactive nourishment or fluids (via a nose administered feeding tube or fluids via an IV) since March 28 without prior legal consent; against the wishes of her Living Will and against the wishes of Mae Magouirk’s closest living next of kin. Mae Magouirk’s next of kin are: Mr. A. B. McLeod (Her Brother) and Mrs. Lonnie Ruth Mullinax (Her sister) both of nearby Anniston, Alabama.
Under Georgia law, unless a medical durable power of attorney is in place, your closest living next of kin are stipulated to make all medical decisions. When Mae Magouirk’s closest living next of kin lodged a complaint with Hospice LaGrange’s in-house attorney Carol Todd last Thursday, March 31, Ms. Todd checked Mae Magouirk’s case file and upon examination of both documents discovered that Beth Gaddy DID NOT have the durable medical power of attorney for Mae Magouirk and upon closer examination of Mae Magouirk’s Living Will ascertained that fluids and nourishment were ONLY TO BE WITHHELD if she was either comatose or vegetative. SHE IS IN NEITHER STATE!!!
Nor is Mae Magouirk terminally ill. Her local LaGrange, Ga. cardiologist, Dr. James Brennan and Dr. Raed Aqel, a highly acclaimed interventional cardiologist at the nationally renowned University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center have determined that Mae Magouirk’s aortic dissection is contained and not presently life threatening.
Two weeks ago, Mae Magouirk’s aorta had a dissection and she was hospitalized in the LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange, Ga. Her aortic problem was at first determined to be severe and she was admitted in the intensive care Unit. Her granddaughter, Beth Gaddy, a teacher at the Calloway Middle School in LaGrange, stated that she held Mae Magouirk’s medical power of attorney and thus invoked said powers against the wishes of Mae Magouirk’s closest living next of kin by having her moved to Hospice-LaGrange. While at Hospice-LaGrange, Beth Gaddy stated that her wishes were for no nourishment for Mae Magouirk via a feeding tube or fluids via an IV. Before hospitalization Mae was lucid and never had been diagnosed with dementia as was testified to in Probate Court on Monday, April 4, by a local MD.
Page Two Mae Magouirk is being starved to death!
Upon learning from Hospice-LaGrange that Mae Magouirk was being denied nourishment and fluids and upon being told by Carol Todd (Hospice LaGrange’s in-house legal consul) that Beth Gaddy DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER LEGAL AUTHORITY to deny said nourishment AND that the denial of nourishment went against Mae Magouirk’s Living Will, Mae’s family (Mullinax/McLeod) ordered the immediate beginning of such nourishment/fluids for Mae to Hospice via Carol Todd.
First Contact with Hospice on Thursday, March 31 Carol Todd told Mrs. Lonnie Ruth Mullinax (Mae Magouirk’s sister) and Kenneth Mullinax (Mae Magouirk’s nephew) via phone on Thursday, March 31 that Georgia Law stipulated that Mrs. Mullinax and her brother A. B. McLeod (Mae Magouirk’s brother) were entitled to make any and all decisions for Mae Magouirk. Mrs. Mullinax immediately told Carol Todd to insert fluids via an IV and insert a feeding tube, via her nose. Carol Todd had the IV fluids started that evening but told the family that they would have to come to Hospice LaGrange to sign papers to have the feeding tube inserted and because of such, she believed that Mae Magouirk would no longer be a candidate for Hospice LaGrange. She was then told that Mae Magouirk’s family concurred and the ONLY REASON Mae was at Hospice was because the LaGrange Hospital had failed to exercise due diligence in closely examining the power of attorney which Beth Gaddy said she had, as well as executing the provisions of Mae’s Living Will to her preordained stipulations. Gaddy only had a financial power of attorney and did not have a medical power of attorney and Mae Magouirk’s Living Will provided that a feeding tube and fluids SHOULD ONLY BE DISSCONTINUED IF Mae was comatose or in a vegetative state. She was and is in neither state.
Attempt to rescue Mae on Friday denied by Probate Judge Donald Boyd On Friday, April 1, when A. B. McLeod (brother) and Kenneth Mullinax (nephew) showed up to meet with Carol Todd and to arrange emergency air transport of Mae Magouirk to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center (One of the top cardiovascular centers in the USA) Hospice LaGrange stalled them while Beth Gaddy went before Troup County Georgia (LaGrange, Ga.) Probate Judge Donald W. Boyd (who DOES NOT hold a law degree) who granted Beth Gaddy emergency guardianship of Mae Magouirk, giving Beth Gaddy full and absolute authority. Thus, they COULD NOT MOVE HER FOR PROACTIVE MEDICAL CARE Friday because Beth Gaddy had Hospice stop them and then she had Mae’s IV fluid tube pulled out. Beth Gaddy has repeatedly told Mr. McLeod, Mrs. Mullinax and Kenneth Mullinax that she feels they all should let Mae not eat and thus cause her to die because, and we quote Beth Gaddy: “Grandmamma is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus. She has glaucoma, and now this heart problem and who would want to live with disabilities like these?”
As stipulated under Georgia Law, a hearing for an Emergency Guardianship, must be held within 3 days of its request and Mae Magouirk’s hearing was held on this past Monday, April 4, before Troup County Georgia Probate Judge Donald Boyd who favors granting Beth Gaddy permanent guardianship and thus will seal Mae Magouirk’s fate of allowing Beth Gaddy to starve her to death against the wishes of her Living Will and in full knowledge that Mae Magouirk is not terminal, not in a coma and is not in a vegetative state and that medical care at UAB Medical Center is awaiting her. Shiavo revisited!
Mae’s present state and vital signs Mae’s blood pressure is good, averaging 140/82 with a pulse rate of 88. However, since admission to Hospice she has not been lucid but who would be since nourishment and fluids have been denied since March 28, 2005. Also adding to her confusion is that she is off her regular medicines and is on a dose of Adavan and Morphine. Without food or water her electrolytes and body chemistry is not within its proper parameters. If her condition is not given major public attention soon, she will die, not by divine cause but by the omission of assistance by man. WE MUST GET Mae moved to UAB Medical ASAP
Resources: Probate Judge Donald Boyd…Court CASE NUMBER: Estate 138-05 Attorney for saving Mae’s life: Jack Kirby, Kirby & Roberts***
I second that motion!
Isn't there some sort of FReeper medal that these can get?
opps sorry bout the caps, fogot they were on. I've typed so much that I'm too tired to go back and retype so consider it an expression of joy and relief and thansgiving and not me shouting at you.
;) ;) :)
SOO blushing!
I have to say-- it is ALL OF US!
TRULY!
we all have different roles--if ANY of us faulters- it leaves us weaker--
YOU ARE VITAL AND APPRECIATED!
ALL OF US ARE!
Let's just Praise God and celebrate!
judge-- ya know-- Andrea Yates was just sending her kids to Jesus tooo-- I CALL THAT EVIL!
That is amazing. Apparantly whatever "agreement" the family was reported to have on Monday, has developed a crack.
I'm curious to learn the gravemen of the motion for court order to have Mae returned to hospice.
There's been so much debate over the details of this case. I just heard the good news that Mae was removed from the hospice. Was this Judge Boyd's ruling, and did he turn out to not be the scoundrel that Greer was? Hopefully someone will provide a link to the actual details of this case as it unfolded.
Had a heated argument with a twisted "conservative" supporter of Greer and M.Schiavo last night. I find it curious that people with children would criticize the Schindlers for making every possible effort to save their daughter. How sick is that? What would anyone with a starved child try to do? Our society is in the gutter.
As i understand it-- Mae was taken out of Hospice and to the hospital because of the DOCTORS! Remember?
The family agreed that if 2 of the 3 agreed- then she would be moved there. Now- I am not sure of all the legal stuff--from here.
I am sure Kenneth will let us know-- right now- he is with his AUNT! As he should be. Our curiosity can wait just a bit-- I bet his mother Ruth is THRILLED too!!
GREAT NEWS!!!!
In America, we do NOT starve people who ask for food....at least in the America I used to know.
GREAT NEWS!!!!
Something about that just doesn't smell right. I'll withhold comment for now, but it does cause me to wonder about someones's motives.
Stop confusing the issue with rationality.
No, I'm afraid not. She had an infection that I feel that Hermann-Memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston undertreated and sent her home with, that ended up killing her. When she went down again we took her to a smaller hospital and I believe in my heart they did their best and I'm grateful, but it was too late.
I work in a medical education environment in a technical staff position, and my mom cared for sick people all her life. It is sick what they are doing.
She warned me early on, in the eighties, say, by telling me stories of the families who would dump their elders, the children who would never visit, things like that. I determined I would never let that happen to my mama, and I took care of her from about 1991-2001, when she passed away.
They talk about how people "wouldn't want to live like that." Truly I tell you I wouldn't want to live with the guilty knowledge that I had the person who gave birth to me put to death because she had become a pain in the butt.
There is always guilt, but I can stand before God and say I did my best and when I would fail I would come back, and get back in there and keep trying .
And there was still laughter, and joking, and good times along the way... it was not always grief and pain and sorrow.
Thanks for asking.
God Bless you!!
You have true grace!
I can only think of two possibilities. One is that Ken is angry with hospice/hospital in LaGrange, and is trying to get public sentiment worked up against them. The other is that hospice is either in a CYA mode, or revenue enhancing mode.
Neither of those possibilities has the best interests of the patient as its primary motivation. Unless one takes "best interests" as "Going to Jesus sooner rather than later."
I was thinking the same thing.
No... there is a 3rd one.
Why don't we wait until Mullinax explains in more detail. I find nothing in his statement to indicate sinister motives. Sounds to me like he's a little giddy, having just been through quite a life & death battle, and no doubt deprived of many hours of sleep.
Besides, if you were Ken Mullinex, would you trust anything or anyone at this point? I think I'd be looking over my shoulder every day for years to come...
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