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***
ty for posting...this is so wrong.
Glenn trying to reach granddaughter. Kenneth said she got 2-3,000 phone calls from 'bloggers' yesterday, and apparantly he knows no other way to reach her. Well, I wonder what school she works for, or where her husband works...
Sent urgent email to all these people. Here's what I wrote:
I understand from World Net Daily that a non-comatose, non-terminal, disabled elderly woman is being starved and dehydrated to death in a hospice in Georgia. She is being held at Hospice-LaGrange in La Grange, Georgia. Here is a link to the article:
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43688
I do not understand why a non-terminal woman is being denied food and water. She made the mistake of creating a Living Will but even with that problem, the condition she is in does not meet the criteria she set forth in the document. Ms. Magouirk is not comatose, nor was she terminally ill. She was recovering from heart surgery and was sedated when she was moved to a hospice.
I request that you immediately use your authority to investigate this case to determine why state laws were not followed. Apparently a person named Beth Gaddy falsely claimed she had medical power of attorney and moved her grandmother to the hospice. Other family members are disputing her authority and want to save their grandmother's life.
Please take action today! A woman's life depends on it!
---Vicki [Last name here]
A concerned advocate for the disabled
Just heard the nephew say on Glenn Beck that David Gibbs has voluntered to help them.
got that right - and we'd better start yelling "Geronimo!" and get the chutes open
Where is AARP????
WE need to let them "know we know" and get them on it! They are, if not the most powerful, the next to most powerful organization in America - and this certainly is an issue they should address.
(I'd ask "where is the ACLU"? - but I'm afraid I know that answer
Of course, I'm just trying to figure out who to email first.
You're welcome ... this is all VERY wrong.
I'm glad Glenn Beck is on this, hopefully Rush and Hannity and others will be also.
they never expected this to get away from them. They thought they had it all set years ago, that Terri would be quietly gone, like so many other thousands (?) ... but thanks to loving parents and siblings, it got outed.
But they were so deep in, they couldn't get out - they had a lot to cover up...
Kenneth says that due to this situation, his own mother, who was not in the best shape herself, is now in the hospital. I don't know if I'm more outraged or scared of what is happening in this country. Burn your living wills, as they are not worth the paper they are printed on!
Lving wills are a death sentence. Get a Will to Live from the National Right to Life organization!
the lie - (where have you been?) on the hospice admitting form in 2000 that Terri was PVS, terminal and not expected to live more than 6 months (a legal requisite for anyone admitted to a hospice in to be terminal with no m ore than 6 month life expectancy) -
In addition, tho' an admitting doctor's name is listed, the doctor DID NOT sign in either space for it - and he left the hospice.
Does this suffice?
David Gibbs is a great attorney. When there are crooked judges, that is where the problem lies.
I sent email to all the legislators in Georgia as well as Governor Perdue. Anyone else you can think of? I'm in Arizona.
? American Association of Retired Persons (or something like that); they're no better than the ACLU....I believe I've read they donate to hospice; O'Reilly has been condemning them as liberal activists....they are not on the side of LIFE.
Oh, yes - of COURSE she was "expected" to only live 2 weeks - that IS the window for one starved/hydrated to death.
But she was not terminal if she continued to be be given food and water - she was, except for brain damage (NOT PVS!) healthy and had a life expectancy of another 40+ years - which is EXACTLY why michael was able to get such a large settlement in "order to pay for her prolonged therapy."
got a clue yet?
LET'S BUST THIS HOSPICE-JUDICIAL MACHINE WIDE OPEN. This must end.
called the governor's office. On to the next calls!!!!!!
Glenn Beck just said he's calling SEAN HANNITY today re: Mae. Glenn wants everyone to call talk radios. List will be at www.glennbeck.com of radio talk show hosts.
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