Posted on 10/25/2003 2:49:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Pinellas Park, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Doctors and other medical professionals confirmed what Terri Schiavo's family has known all along -- she is not in a persistent vegetative state and has the ability to recover with proper rehabilitative and medical care.
During the legal battle leading up to the present situation, doctors hired by Michael Schiavo's attorney to appear in court on his behalf said Terri is not conscious and is in a vegetative state.
They maintained what her family considered attempts at verbal response and the opening and closing of her eyes as mere reflexes rather than an attempt by a mentally disabled woman to communicate as best she could.
Not so say a group of doctors who appeared with the Schindler family at a press conference late Friday.
Dr. John Young, Dr. William Maxfield, and Dr. William Hammesfahr spoke to the media Friday. "This woman is not in a persistent vegetative state," Young said.
Maxfield and Young have examined Terri during the legal battle.
Maxfield, a radiologist, said CT scans from last summer show some damage but not the enormous loss of tissue described by others. "People ought to know she can be rehabilitated," he said.
Hammesfahr, a neurologist from Clearwater, where Terri was hospitalized, is a recognized national expert on PVS and is a Nobel prize nominee.
He says Terri's eyes clearly fixate on her family and she tries to follow the simple commands her parents give her. "She looks at you, she can follow commands," he said.
"This is a case about a judicial system making an error," Hammesfahr concluded, referring to Judge George Greer granting Michael Schiavo's request to remove Terri's feeding tube.
Bobby Schindler says it is obvious that not only does Terri respond and attempt to communicate but that she has memory of her life before questionable circumstances placed her in her disabled state.
He said his sister likes John Denver music and smiles when it plays. Bobby's sister also knew he enjoyed the music of Bruce Springsteen and Terri bought him an album when they were young.
After he told her he met the rock star recently, Bobby said. "There was a smile on her face to light up the room. ... She showed elation."
Related web sites: Bob and Mary Schindler - http://www.terrisfight.org
She'd probably be more useful and responsive in her present state than some of the ones that are in there now.
Just curious, but what side do you think the ACLU would come down on if Terri was black?
"I don't think it is widely appreciated just how damaged her brain is,"
said Walker, an internist, who has followed the case closely by reading
the public record.
Schiavo's cerebral cortex, he said, is mostly gone. It was destroyed by
the loss of oxygen she suffered when she had a heart attack 13 years ago.
Once gone, the cortex cannot grow back, Walker said. The space it
once occupied in Schiavo's skull is now filled with spinal fluid.
"The cortex does all our thinking," he said. "Some people argue that it's
responsible for personhood. Without a cortex, you can't think, feel,
have consciousness."
Schiavo is "awake but not aware," Walker said. Parts of her brain
that control reflexes and other basic bodily functions still work. So she
can sleep, breathe, blink and make the other moves that fuel the faith
of those who seek to save her.
Her lack of consciousness is so complete that, according to Walker,
if her feeding tube were to be removed from her stomach, Schiavo
would not suffer.
"She cannot perceive thirst or hunger. She doesn't have the brain
structures necessary for that kind of perception."
She isn't suffering from a "Cerebral Vasospasm", her cortex is damaged
beyond repair. She has been in the same vegetate state for 13 years.
At: http://www.esearchbox.com/story/prweb,56/prweb,56495.html,
you will find information regarding "Dr. W. Hammesfahr". His work
sounds very promising for those that relocate to his services quickly
and very early on. But "Dr. W. Hammesfahr" has not promised help
for those with lost Cortex. The cortex cannot be revitalized or
reconstituted once damaged to the extent it had been in Terri's
case.
Opposing opinions for trial purposes are always interesting, but
as someone noted.... Where were these people for the past 13 years?
And no, there isn't a husband or guardian in existence that can prevent
proper care from being taken while hospitalized.
The hype about Terri's case is akin to the hype over UFOs or
religious belief.
She's got her 14th chance. Let's see how long we can make her
suffer as Ms. Tomato this time around.
But it is my understanding that he HAS examined her medical records and the bone scan. He is trained to make those kinds of interpretations. Have you seen this thread?
Maybe this is a silly question, but if she's "already dead," isn't really there, is a vegetable and no medical care is being allowed anyway then why does she need a doctor? < /sarcasm >
Anything he says is nothing but piffle.
There are some who would answer with a resounding YES!
I speak from personal experience with a family member.
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