Posted on 05/11/2005 6:39:07 PM PDT by BykrBayb
‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’
Tracy Gaskill shows major signs of recovery after critical accident in 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By FOSS FARRAR, Arkansas City Traveler For nearly three years, Don and Stella Gaskill had hoped their severely injured granddaughter would talk again. Just recently, their prayers were answered.
On Sept. 3, 2002, Tracy Gaskill suffered critical internal and head injuries when her pickup overturned on its top. Doctors told her relatives that night that she probably would die by noon the next day, Don Gaskill said this morning.
“That accident scared us to death,” said Gaskill, who lives in rural Winfield. Tracy Gaskill also is from Winfield.
But through personalized care received at Medicalodge North in Arkansas City and the daily visits and prayers of the Gaskill family — as well as many others in the Cowley County community — Tracy survived and gradually got better, medical personnel say.
Then, about three weeks ago, she spoke for the first time since the accident, Don Gaskill said. About the same time, she began to swallow on her own.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Dr. David Schmeidler said today. “I have never seen this happen in my career. I’ve read about it happening, the severely brain damaged recovering suddenly, but never seen it until now,” said Schmeidler, the medical director at the Medicalodge. He said he visited Tracy a few weeks ago and she greeted him, “Hi, Dr. Schmeidler.”
“She is actually able to speak and to speak coherently,” he said. “In light of all this stuff on Terri Schiavo — and I believe what was done in that case was wrong — it makes you pause and think. For three years or so, (Tracy) was fed through a tube, then she swallowed a little bit and now she speaks.”
Schiavo was the severely brain damaged woman who died March 31 after spending 15 years connected to a feeding tube. It finally was disconnected, after a bitter right-to-die dispute between her husband and her parents. The case went all the way to the White House and Congress.
But everyone involved in Tracy Gaskill’s care has been pulling for her to get better ever since her accident.
“It’s really quite amazing (that Tracy can speak),” said Lynda Marshall, a registered nurse who works at Medicalodge North. “After they’ve been without speech and the ability to eat that long, it’s very rare they’re able to come back.”
Marshall said Tracy will get speech therapy, continue working on improving cognitive functions and eat on her own.
“We’ve been assisting her with a feeding tube until yesterday,” she said.
Don Gaskill said he feels that without the personalized care his granddaughter has received at Medicalodge, she wouldn’t have made such an amazing recovery.
“In the last year and a half, she’s indicated that she knows us; she has been watching TV and smiling,” he said. “More recently, she started nodding her head when we asked her questions. Then a few months ago, she’d laugh out loud.”
In the last few months, nurses at the Medicalodge worked with her to get her to hum, he added. Finally, she started to speak clearly.
Asked by a reporter today how old she was, Tracy answered, “Twenty-nine. “You’re 30,” Don Gaskill corrected her. “Remember, you had another birthday.”
Tracy Gaskill was injured in 2002 when she lost control of her pickup truck as she was driving south on U.S. 77 just south of Strother Field, near the site of Cowley Cinema 8, according to the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicle rolled over.
“We don’t know what caused it,” Don Gaskill said. “We weren’t at home at the time. One of (her) brothers who had heard from the sheriff’s office called us.”
Tracy was taken by ambulance to Strother Field, where a medical evacuation helicopter airlifted her to Wesley Medical Center. Tracy is a sister of Tyler Gaskill, a photographer and office staffer at the Winfield Courier. She has another brother, Shawn, a junior at Winfield High School.
She was in surgical intensive care for about a month at the Wichita hospital, Don Gaskill said, before she was moved into the Medicalodge in Arkansas City.
Also in this very thread you will find that I didn't feel that her inability to speak words does not mean that she didn't have a life worth living.
Nobody (on your side)said that they wanted her to live either. I'd rather be a moron than a supporter of murder.
It is appropriate to ping someone if you are going to discuss them in a post.
I read what you wrote. Are you unclear on the fact that I said I didn't want her to die?
Did you somehow miss that? ALL I said was that the woman didn't say words and that is was inappropriate to be so nasty and to try and attribute something to someone that they did not say.
I am NOT pro-death in any way. I just think it's time for the hatefulness to stop.
STOP CALLING ME PRO-DEATH.
Don't twist my words around.
Right there with you on that......
I guess she didn't realize that she was already dead by OTHER people's standards!
Is this for real or are you writing a novel??????? (just curious).
"Everything you might want to know about Cindydawg (and more)
Hello,
My name is Cindydawg. I'm a tall, blond, single female. I live in the country in South Texas. I have lived here all my life. I left home when I was very young with a guy that was in to duck hunting. The relationship didn't last very long though. He beat me, tried to drown me, and finally dumped me for someone else. To this day I can not stand men in fatigues. (To be honest I don't really care for men too much at all.)
Well anyway, after this guy kicked me out I lived on the streets for about 5 months until I was arrested for vagrancy. I had never been in jail before and it was scary. I didn't have the money for bail or a place to go.
One afternoon though a lady named Janis came to visit me. She had 2 boys with her. We talked for awhile and then she left. A short time later I was released. I was told that Janis had posted my bail. She was waiting for me outside and offered to let me stay with her and her family.
That was 7 years ago. It's my home too, now. The boys have gone. It's just me,Janis and her husband Eddie who seems to think he is in charge. He and I tolerate each other but the man gets upset because I like to sit at Janis' feet and rub against her legs. He tells me I'm worthless and a whiner. He has actually put me out of the house several times.
Janis loves me though and lets me back in and tells Eddie to behave and that Cindydawg is a good dog.
You know I authorized her to use my name don't you? It was so funny. Janis tends to be kind of lazy with computers so she asked Eddie to get her set up with FreeRepublic. He wanted her to pick a screen name that had significance. He was annoyed because she wasn't paying attention and told her to stop playing with Cindydawg and choose a name. She looked at me and said "Cindydawg, may I use your name"? I licked her on the face (that's how I say yes). Eddie asked in amazement, "you want to use your dogs name" Janis just grinned. He said "whatever, but boy are you going to get razed". Janis' chin came up and she said "I don't care. If people don't like it they can call me Indiana. Isn't that right Cindydawg"? I licked her again. I was so honored as I watched Eddie muttering to himself as he typed in CINDYDAWG."
Hi Net. Don't read through this and get the wrong idea about me. What these guys are about to attribute to me are NOT true and NOT what I said.
My real feelings about it are towards the end of the thread. :-)
Liar
I never said you were honest.
Why did you do this? Just curious.
I am fully aware of what your stated views were before. But something changed. You've become very dark. When is the last time you had a life-affirming thought? I think you suffered some kind of serious life-altering trauma. You might want to consider getting help.
At this point, you are the only one that knows the truth for sure. It sounds like you are really hurting. I am sorry texasflower. I won't say anything more.
Nothing has changed. I'm just fine. I don't like the negativity and meaness that has taken over FR.
Trying to condescend to me is more of your problem than mine.
You are just angry that I won't let you bully me.
I'm curious about why you did that also. I've always thought CindyDawg's homepage was funny and very clever.
Thank you, bjs1779.
Never mind, I'm sure you'll find some tortured way to try to justify that.
I stand by my words. It doesn't matter if Terri was the first or just the latest of hundreds or thousands. It has always been wrong to kill innocent people.
I don't care how many years it's been going on. It's still wrong on every level.
And it's time to stop it.
The people involved need to be prosecuted to send a message that Americans shouldn't murder innocents.
And the rest we'll take one step at a time until this heinous sanctioned--murder-by-judges/doctors/inheritors practice is history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.