Woman's Sustaining Care Resumed- But Experts Say No Hope Exists For Her Recovery

The Washington Post ^ | October 23, 2003 | Rob Stein

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Life support for Terri Schiavo was resumed yesterday in a Florida hospital room, but many experts said there is virtually no hope that she will ever recover, despite her parents' desperate hopes.

"If it's over a year, she's not ever going to get up," said Fred Plum, a professor emeritus at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. "You just don't see it. It just doesn't happen."

Schiavo, 39, has been in a persistent vegetative state since her heart stopped for unknown reasons in 1990. A feeding tube in her stomach was removed Oct. 15 after her husband, Michael, who said his wife had told him she would not want to be kept alive under such circumstances, won a long series of court battles to have life-sustaining nourishment withdrawn so she could die.

[Salvation]

**but if there is truly no hope of her recovery,**

But only God knows the answer to this. There is always hope!

[shhrubbery!]

I read the article your cited. You're right, sometimes medical science is wrong. But, if you live you're life assuming that science is wrong whenever it tells you something you don't like, you do a diservice to yourself.

Did you read the NY Times article to the end?

A young man in PVS named Daniel Rios is profiled. Daniel Rios wants to live! 'We' at FR (we 'Americans') who support Terri's right to life are fighting for her, and for Daniel Rios and all others like them.

The 'culture' you speak of may or may not be afraid of death. But, for sure, it is afraid of disability. What 'we' must recognize and respect is that there are many disabled people, including those in PVS, who want to live.

Maybe they can't enjoy life the way we 'abled' people can -- but maybe they enjoy just as much hearing their loved one's voices, and their favorite music played to them. Maybe they enjoy the scent of fresh flowers in the room, or the sunshine falling on their faces when they're taken outside in the spring.

I am only sad for those who are abandoned because their relatives have been told by the "experts" that they are "gone," or "lifeless shells."

[Salvation]

**starving her to death which I think is inhumane.**

Can you imagine the ruckus if this were to happen to a bunch of animals at a shelter?

[Tax-chick]

The 'culture' you speak of may or may not be afraid of death. But, for sure, it is afraid of disability. What 'we' must recognize and respect is that there are many disabled people, including those in PVS, who want to live.

Bingo!

[T.Smith]

Onlookers have heard her say help me hundreds of times. She also has said "Pay" during her menses - they think she is trying to say "pain".

Perhaps the help she is requesting is that which will allow her to escape the pain.

[IncPen]

Christopher Reeves is a completely different deal altogether, he's coherrent and can communicate his wishes. There is no doubt that he wants to live. Have you ever wondered did we keep Terri alive, when she actually wanted to die? I hope she really wants to live, because like it or not that's the choice that has been made for her.

I haven't looked back over the thread, but I'm assuming you got flamed for this...

In my view Terri is as innocent as a baby in the womb. Her death is desirable to some around her, only because she's an inconvenience.

If she can't communicate, how could we possibly conclude that she wants to die? If she can't communicate a desire to die, then are we not bound by our humanity to prevent her death? Even if she communicated a desire to die, who among us could ethically terminate her life?

Clearly there are forces at work in this case that do not wish her to remain among the living.

I'll stand, opposite those.

[RGSpincich]

"The CAT scan shows massive atrophy of the brain. It shows there's been significant shrinkage of the entire brain. What Terri Schiavo manifests is a classic vegetative state. It looks like she's looking at you, but really she's not. It looks like she's grinning at you, but she's really not. You can believe what you want and see what you want, but it's just not there," said Cranford, also a professor at the University of Minnesota.

The key test is whether someone can track movement with their eyes, which Schiavo does not, Cranford said. "Terri does not have visual tracking. If you look at the videotapes, she's really not looking at her mother. She's really not tracking," Cranford said.

Cranford said that Schiavo could survive another five to 10 years if she continues to receive fluids and nourishment, "but the point is she'll never regain consciousness or improve from her condition."

That would make her in a PVS for between 18 and 23 years. The jury gave a malpractice award based on 17 years not the 50 requested by MS. Looks like the jury heard testimony and believed that Terri was destined not to recover and she would probably die before her time. I was wondering about that odd number of 17 years. Must have something to do with the CScans and rate of brain shrinkage.

[HELLRAISER II]

I didn't get flamed to bad over this, I just don't think you can compare the 2. It's true Terri can't let us know her wishes and that doesn't give me or you the right to make the decision for her. However someone is going to have to make that decision and I hope that person is an very open minded person that has her best interest in mind when they make that decision. P.S. look back through the threads, i'm not a I want Terri to die person. I simply hope that whatever decision is made, it's best for her.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Looks like the jury heard testimony and believed that Terri was destined not to recover and she would probably die before her time.

I wonder what those jurors now think about the Schiavo case?

[Calpernia]

>>>Just basic nursing care and a tube feeding.

And that may only be short term. That nurse, Carla Sauer Iyer, had started Terri on Jello back in '95 and '96 when she was in Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center.

[PleaseNoMore]

I would love to know the answer to that question. BTW, in response to your comment about LE questioning MS, I don't believe that it is wrong to suspect someone of a crime when there seems to be evidence of it. Just because LE hasn't gotten around to investigating it or questioning doesn't mean it didn't happen. Maybe now that this case has gained media attention LE will take an initiative and determine that this may be more than a family squabble. And yes, emotions are running very high in this case.

[Calpernia]

Wheee The People

[Calpernia]

>>>I also want to say that the Florida Legislature was just plain wrong in giving Gov. Bush the power to review this case. It's terrible public policy to legislate for one special case.

Then instead of disrupting the threads on Terri, why don't you all ban together as a force like we did and take it to the Legislature?

Go start your own "change the public policy" threads and stop trolling these.

T.Smith, Wheee The People, NYFriend

[MarMema]

MarMema, I can't locate a link to the story, but who was the patient about whom he testified as having no chance of recovery, the guy who "woke up" soon after Cranford advised starving him to death?

euthanasia/abortion

"Dr. Ronald Cranford, the euthanasia advocate who hopes to help Pete Busalacchi take care of Christine when she is brought to Minnesota, had a similar case in 1979. Sgt. David Mack was shot in the line of duty as a policeman, and Cranford diagnosed him as "definitely...in a persistent vegetative state...never [to] regain cognitive, sapient functioning...never [to] be aware of his condition." Twenty months after the shooting Mack woke up, and eventually regained nearly all his mental ability. When asked by a reporter how he felt, he spelled out on his letterboard, "Speechless!"

[agrace]

THANK YOU. :)

[agrace]

Wow, what great stories, thanks to you both for sharing them.

[MarMema]

Also, I think it was representative Harrington who spoke in the House that evening they voted.

His story was about his father in law, I believe. The man was in a coma for many years and they decided to take him off the vent and let him die. So they went in to do it and he began trying to talk.

Some rehab later, the man was able to go home and went fishing and hunting.

God works in mysterious ways. Let God be with Terri today. Her body has taken a tremendous assault and she needs our Lord's healing.

[MarMema]

More great stories for anyone and all are here.

Unfortunately, Christine Busalacchi was eventually dehydrated to death by her father.

[Calpernia]

I've been seeing more posts on an insurance policy M.S. took on Terri.

Is there any documentation/link to this? I have to get that info over to another group that is grassrooting this too.

Also, does anyone know about ins. policies? Like if M.S. finally loses guardianship, and Terri passes on, will he still be the recipient? Or can this be changed?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

From my understanding, the only way the policy could be denied is if the insurance company determined that she died due to foul play.

The interesting thing about insurance policies is that it isn't illegal for him to have one on her, in fact many people, even after divorce continue to retain policies on their former spouses, because the policy is considered a marital asset that was divided in an equitable manner.