Posted on 06/19/2005 6:04:50 PM PDT by wagglebee
Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in Medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.
Dr. Hammesfahr has been identified in helping patients with chronic brain injuries from many causes actually leave long term disability, and return to work.
Dr. Hammesfahr was identified the first physician to restore deficits caused by stroke.
Dr. Hammesfahr has released the following statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo:
We have seen a lot on the autopsy of Terri Schindler Schiavo in recent days, that I feel needs to be addressed. To ignore these comments will allow future 'Terri Schiavo's' to die needlessly after the wishes of clinicians and family are ignored.
Considering that there were so many physicians and therapists who were willing to step forward to treat Terri Schiavo, from university based practitioners to those in private practice, it clearly shows that the mainstream medical community across the board, those involved in treating patients, knew that they could help Terri.
The record must be set straight. As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making).
Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were "relatively preserved."
The purpose of the therapies offered by so many, from major universities, brain injury centers, and from private practice physicians, is to improve and restore quality of life, and function, which the mainstream medical community clearly tried to get to her.
I have had a chance to look at Dr. Nelson's analysis of the brain tissue, and essentially, as a clinician, these are my thoughts.
The autopsy results confirmed my opinion and Dr. Maxfield's opinions, that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact. To use Dr. Nelson's words, "relatively preserved." In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape. The Spect scan confirmed these areas were functional and not scar tissue, and that was apparently also confirmed on Dr. Nelson's review of the slides. Dr. Maxfield's estimates of retained brain weight were apparently accurate, although there may have been some loss of brain weight due to the last two weeks of dehydration.
Dr. Maxfield and myself both emphasized that she was a woman trapped in her body, similar to a child with cerebral palsy, and that was born out by the autopsy, showing greater injury in the motor and visual centers of the brain. Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality, and thus his assessment must represent sampling error. The videotapes clearly showed her seeing, and even Dr. Cranfoed, for the husband, commented to her that, when she could see the balloon, she could follow it with her eyes as per his request.
That she could not swallow was obviously not borne out by the reality that she was swallowing her saliva, about 1.5 liters per day of liquid, and the clinical swallowing tests done by Dr. Young and Dr. Carpenter. Thus, there appears to be some limitations to the clinical accuracy of an autopsy in evaluating function.
With respect to the issue of trauma, that certainly does not appear to be answered adequately. Some of the types of trauma that are suspected were not adequately evaluated in this assessment. Interestingly, both myself and at least one neurologist for the husband testified to the presence of neck injuries. The issue of a forensic evaluation for trauma, is highly specialized. Hence the wish of the family to have observers which was refused by the examiner.
Ultimately, based on the clinical evidence and the autopsy results, an aware woman was killed.
s/Dr. W. Hammesfahr
[Dr. Hammesfahr was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1999. The Nomination was for work started in 1994. In 2000, this work resulted in approval for the first patent in history granted for the treatment of neurological diseases including coma, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, hypoxic injuries and other neurovascular disorders with medications that restore blood flow to the brain. It was extended to treat successfully disabilities including ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette's and Autism as well as behaviorally and emotionally disturbed children, seizures and severe migraines.]
Well that totally ignores the fact that any would care whether Terri was killed or not. It is all about a paltry 700000.
Then why do you think they spent years in courts? Trying to get 200-300,000?
Most readers here know that the relationship changed when it dawned on the parents that Michael was now making claims that Terri did not want to live with "tubes". Why had he not mentioned in the 7 years prior? And, that meant, that Michael was taking steps to withdraw those tubes.
Any parent knows that the death of the daughter is the prime consideration here - not the money. The money was when the turn in direction occurred by Michael. It was not the Schlinders and you full well know it.
And before you spring back with more assaults on those parents ------ even if it had been about the money - it does not matter a whit because they still do not have to agree to allow a son-in-law to kill a daughter.
Now - please wake up and get over the obsession with wonderful Micheal. We all have made our judgement of Michael by his actions over the last years. We don't need word games.
Why did you put that first sentence in quotes? I certainly didn't use that language, but it's most interesting that you did.
And, btw, do you think that people who don't wish to be kept alive in this way are committing suicide? It's your right to think that, but I'm certainly glad that thus far in this country we are all allowed self determination vs. determination by a few who are pushing the pro life agenda beyond the original life for the innocent unborn.
Btw, I didn't call you any names.
I specifically mentioned the neck because there was no report of neck injury in the autopsy report, Smarta**. Go back and read my posts and ensuing exchanges. And don't mischaracterize them again.
Being paranoid is calling someone a name...it's a condition..like PVS.
Let's try that again..."Being paranoid ISN'T calling someone a name"...there.
No. "Terribots" is name calling and worthy of a playground. But now that you point it out, you're namecalling above is childish too. I can only conclude that you have nothing to share but insults. Hope the rest of your day is a good one.
I will look at the trial transcript when I have a chance.
Thus, to call someone paranoid tells us little about a person's true frame of mind.
"Let's see her attack occurred in Feb of 1990 - he got the money from the lawsuit in 1992- sounds about right that he would have been a phony during that period of time, so much so that the Schindlers were completely taken in by him. Soon as he goot the money his true colors came through. You people amaze me no end when you defend this man."
"Schiavo clash is rooted in cash
The dispute between Michael Schiavo and his in-laws began when Bob and Mary Schindler said he owed them money, court records show."
"Michael Schiavo sat by his brain-damaged wife, Terri, at a Largo nursing home as he studied for college classes. Schiavo had brought two dozen roses not long after a jury in a medical malpractice case awarded the couple about $1-million."
"Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, walked in. An argument started. With an exchange of heated words, some involving that money, Schiavo's close relationship with the Schindlers ended."
So it's your take only MS is motivated by money and the Schindlers aren't?
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/23/Tampabay/Schiavo_clash_is_root.shtml
Have you or anyone for that matter seen an accounting of all the funds that poured in to save her life?
Follow the money...
http://bbsnews.net/article.php?story=20050325224325468
How, pray tell, did father Pavone stretch the truth?
I am advocating that man not initiate death, not kill, not judge the worth of another's life for the purpose of deciding whether to kill them or not.
You show the very same blank look of incomprehension that I saw on Juan's face as Brit Hume told him - "Juan - she was not dying". He just could not grasp the difference.
Apparently many here tend to ignore the fact that we are now allowing the state to willfully commit an action that will kill a sick one. This is not our historical action.
The laws have been altered by (WHO THE HECK KNOWS) to permit SOME to allow the removal from life of others.
This is what we call the first steps of nazism. We have the intelligence to recognize the dangers of this and we are speaking out forcefully against it and will continue to do so.
Why? Because I do not intend to quietly sit by while the America I grew up in is altered (BY LAWMAKING BY UNELECTED PERSONS INPUTTING THEIR VIEWS OF WHO GETS TO LIVE AND WHO DOES NOT GET TO LIVE) to totally change the country.
Anyone that does not understand this - in my opinion is blind, ignorant, or on the side of those allowing some to decide the death of others.
This is a travesty to our children and grandchildren and I intend to fight it.
Name calling? If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black about name calling in these threads, nothing is...I'm thrilled you don't want to discuss anything further with me. It makes my day..thank you.
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/30/Tampabay/Money_trail_leads_to_.shtml
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/11215317.htm
(These aren't the article you are talking about, but they are close.)
Actually, and in front of the whole world, he did kill her.
In fact the stated laws of Florida have the statement that "these laws in no way mean that euthanasia is supported" (or words to that effect).
A bunch of legal cover-up allowing state sponsored killing and it is not euthanasia? Yeah right.
Thought you might like to add this to your knowledge base.
http://reports.tbo.com/reports/schiavo/
Or all the news articles, PDF's etc here.
http://reports.tbo.com/reports/schiavo/relatedstories.html#orders
TBO seems to be the net version of the St. Pete Times.
Saved and thank you.
I invite you to do that. You will be embarrassed for Dr. H.
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