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A SIGNIFICANT TERRI-RESPONSIVENESS REPORT

This was on Sean Hannity's radio show, apparently March 21, 2005. You can listen to it here.

Sean: Doctor William Hammesfahr is with us... As a man who, according to one report I read... you spent, over TEN hours with Terri Schiavo, sir?

Dr.H: I spent about ten hours over three separate visits, yes.

Sean: Well first of all, welcome to the program, I know how busy you are doctor, and I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy day. And by the way, is it true that I read you were nominated for a Nobel prize?

Dr.H: Yeah, yea, in 1999, for work, for the type of therapy that we WANT to do with Terri, that should HELP with Terri in fact.

Sean: Are you as stunned as I am, that there has been NO rehab attempts in this case, that theres been... it seems theres been just BASIC care denied here. Is that a fair assessment on my part?

Dr.H: Its WORSE than basic care being denied. This woman has been subjugated to a horrible existance. She's had urinary tract infections, she's had massive overwhelming infections, that the husband has refused to give antibiotics for, and he had to give them to her after, against his written orders on the chart,

Dr.H: This woman went from, right before a malpractice settlement check was given to him, she went from walking with parallel bars and assistance, having physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, speaking some words... to the state we see her now in the videotapes.

Sean: Can I ask you, have you read the affidavits at all of two women, Heidi Law, a nurse who said in fact that she witnessed Terri EAT on her own? That she actually FED her? And that another woman Carla Sauer Iyers, who basically said they were on orders, by the husband, NOT to give basic care to this woman? Are you familiar with these affidavits?

Dr.H: Yes I am

Sean: And apparently Michael used the term; "the "B"-word die?" quote, Are you familiar with that?

Dr.H: Right. Absolutely he did. That's what the nurses stated. And its not just them. Its quite a few other nurses around, stated that, in nursing homes and facilities. You know, he had a habit of moving her from facility to facility, when the facility... maybe I'm misreading her medical record, but it appears from her medical record, that there were nursing homes that wanted her to get treatment, he would then move her to another facility. Thats the way I interpret her record.

Sean: Well look, doctor, you have been nominated for a Nobel prize in your field, you're one of the BEST in what you do. This is your area of expertise. You, more that anyone else I have spoken to, probably knows more about this than any politician in Washington. You spent over TEN hours with this woman. Tell us what you see? Tell us what we can do? Tell us what is the condition?

Dr.H: What you can do, you need to get on the stick, to call congressmen and senators, thanking them for the great work that they did, and urging them to put this patient into protective custody so she can get help.

Dr.H: And if you're in Florida, you need to CALL the governor's office, you need to call the representatives here because this woman is not in coma, she's not in PVS. She's just disabled, and she's the subject of a family trying to save her life and bring her back home to them. and a husband who's trying to prevent that. A husband who lives with somebody else.

Dr.H: A husband who's been secretive about that. The way the family found out that that he lives with somebody else, is through the ahh... Michael's father died, and in the obituaries it was listed that Michael was survived by Michael, his significant other, and Michael's two children.

Dr.H: You need to... this is an issue where the state HAS to intervene. This is not a judiciary vs a state's rights issue, this is an issue where a TERRIBLE error is happening, its going to KILL somebody. And it is right for the government to intervene, and try to put this person into protective custody.

Sean: In your medical professional opinion, and I am not a medical doctor, but MY observation of this woman is that there is hope for her, when for example, the balloon, the way she follows the movement of the balloon, the way she seems to react to touch, and people's presence. Is this woman conscious on any level? or is she in this vegatetative state, as is being told us?

Dr.H: Oh no, she's COMPLETELY conscious, Shes NOT in a vegetative state. A vegetative state is a type of coma where you are unresponsive to the world. She is NOT unresponsive. She understands English, She understands language, she TRIES to communicate. She is NOT in coma. It has been COMPLETE mis-information.

Sean: Wait Wait Wait, I want to stop you here doctor, you're say, your ten hours with her, shes responsive directly to YOU, and understands what you say?

Dr.H: Absolutely! Shes not only responsive to ME, but if you look at the Cranford video, Dr. Cranford video on TerrisFight.org, this is a nuerologist thats actually COMPLIMENTING her on following commands. She is very responsive, and very aware of whats happening.

Dr.H: At one point, I was in her room, and I turned to her, and I said as I was leaving... it was a standard hospital room with a large window, and she was looking off to me, off to her left, and I turned to her and said... you know, she can't see it right now because she's blind, partly blind, I said, If you look out the window, you'd be able to see squirrels, and flowers, and all the rest...

Dr.H: With that she turned her ENTIRE BODY, and looked out the window, and started searching for the birds. And she IS partially blind, but she still did it.

Dr.H: If you look at her with her mother, she looks off into space, and then as her mother comes close on this famous video, she smiles at her Mother.

Dr.H: Well, its because she can only see within about 18 inches in front of her face. So she is listening like the blind person does, to figure out where people are in the room, and then as they come closer to her, THEN she can interact with them.

Dr.H: So this is a very very very aware, alive, vibrant individual, trapped in a body that is preventing her from communicating properly, but she's THERE, and she needs and deserves treatment.

Sean: Doctor, this is a stunning, stunning testimony you are giving... I mean, I have never heard anybody say it this directly, And you are the only person that I know that has spent this quality time with her... So basically what you are saying is by pulling this tube we are murdering someone who is alive, conscious and aware?

Dr.H: It is a vital need to get her under custody and away from these people who are trying to kill her. yes.

Sean: You believe the husband is trying to murder her.

Dr.H: I--- don't want another lawsuit. (laughs) or a lawsuit from my client.

Sean: Well, So don't say it then.

Dr.H: So I wont.

Sean: So, have you been sued over this issue?

Dr.H: Oh, no no no no no.

Sean: But in your professional opinion, Let me put it another way, and save you the legal fees.

In your professional opinion, having examined her for over ten hours, you being a Nobel prize nominated physician, You are saying that this is a woman that is alive, that is aware? that could live? And what kind of improvements could she make in her life?

Dr.H: Well I would expect with treatment, proper medical treatment, I would expect her to be able to talk again at some point, and to return to her family, and start to live her life again. Be able to go out, see movies, enjoy life.

Dr.H: She can ALREADY eat and swallow now, the only reason she is not swallowing now is because of a judicial order. Its not that she is not swallowing. She CAN swallow. The only reason she is not being FED is because of a judicial order. She CAN eat and swallow.... So, she could certainly go out and enjoy restaurants, enjoy movies, and go out and enjoy LIFE again.

Sean: Doctor, theres this tape that came out, the family research council reported, this past friday, that her dad, Bob Schindler recorded this earlier. Have you heard it?

[the audio tape shows Bob S. talking to, and asking questions of Terri. Mostly she moans in response to him. Once she sounds like she may have said 'yeah'.]

Sean: There's one report that was NOT this weekend, and there are other reports that it was this weekend. I can't say, but I can say thats definately her, and I know that is her Dad's voice. so, what does that... I'm not a professional. but how do we READ that? I know our audience would not know how to read that. So what can we take from that?

Dr.H: Well thats a person who is trying to communicate with her world around her. And I was there with her for a LONG period of time. She does NOT do that sort of vocalizations or verbalizations except when she is trying to respond to a person, or to get their specific attention. Its not undirected random activity that you can just set up a video camera and you'll get that kind of stuff. She does NOT do that kind of stuff unless she has a reason for doing it.

Dr.H: So, And in fact she has different sorts of sounds. some for whether she is hurting, some for a variety of different needs that she has. But I was with her a long period of time, and she does NOT do that sort of stuff unless she is trying to interact and communicate with someone, and to communicate an idea.

Sean says he will see the doctor again on H&C tonight.