Terri's Story

Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation ^ | December 3,2006 | Schindler Foundation

[8mmMauser]

Theresa Marie Schindler was born to Robert and Mary Schindler on December 3, 1963. She was the first of three children the Schindlers would have.

Terri was a shy, but comical, child who had an affinity for music, animals and the arts. She kept a small circle of friends and was dear to schoolmates, neighboring families and her own extended family.

Following high school, Terri came into her own. She developed a knack for sketching and doodling. She enjoyed outings with her friends. She was an adoptive mother to the family’s dog, Bucky.

Terri attended Catholic School while growing up and remained close to her faith throughout her life.

In 1983, Terri met Michael Schiavo at Bucks County Community College and the two began dating. He was the first romantic interest Terri had.

The couple was engaged within a few months and married a year later at Terri’s church in Southampton, Pa. She was 21.

In 1986, Terri and Michael relocated to Pinellas County, Florida and her parents followed three months later.

In 1990, at the age of 26, Terri suffered a mysterious cardio-respiratory arrest for which no cause has ever been determined. She was diagnosed with hypoxic encephalopathy – neurological injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Terri was placed on a ventilator, but was soon able to breathe on her own and maintain vital function. She remained in a severely compromised neurological state and was provided a PEG tube to ensure the safe delivery of nourishment and hydration.

On March 31, 2005, Terri Schindler Schiavo died of marked dehydration following more than 13 days without nutrition or hydration under the order of Circuit Court Judge, George W. Greer of the Pinellas-Pasco’s Sixth Judicial Court. Terri was 41.

[8mmMauser]

Is there room in the Rose Garden for another Bush? I would like to see some White Roses planted there, myself. Here is a view from Kathryn Jean Lopez, Editor of National Review Online, on the prospects of another Bush in our future. Maybe nobody told her (or the attendees) about what really happened in Florida.

Bush talked about the dignity of the individual, hitting hot-button issues including abortion and racial preferences. As one fan in the audience noted: “He touched plenty of third rails, just to show that you can and still succeed. His comments about abortion and right and wrong reminded everyone of his principled support of life from Schiavo to parental notification and consent. He relished telling the tale of his move to dismantle racial preferences. And he stuck to his guns through several tough questions about immigration even though he knew it wouldn't please some of his audience.”

If there was one issue that dampened enthusiasm for Bush among those gathered, it was immigration, where the former governor seemed to criticize conservative assimilation-policy tendencies. “He lost half the room on immigration,” one Beltwayer noted. But even with that, Governor Bush presented himself as a conservative executive –- who governored as a conservative. As one attendee noted, “Like him or love him (about the range of opinion in the room as far as I could sense), he's got charisma and stature and the oratorical skills of a natural leader. He's also clearly getting in fighting shape and has a smile that is as easy and natural as his deep south Florida tan.”

Third Time’s a Charm?... Jeb Bush rallies conservatives.

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[8mmMauser]

More NKR (Not Quite Right) stuff from a conservative source, this time the Washington Times, regarding the National Review gathering and upcoming CPAC as venues for perceived conservative thought...

Cynical politicians have manipulated the social right, through the meddling in the Terry Schiavo case, to the banning of gambling on the Internet. And a constitutional amendment defining marriage has helped transform the conservative movement, which was once about with the expansion of freedom, into "Big Christian Brother," which now is concerned with the expansion of virtue.

Snip...

Craig Shirley is the president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs and author of the critically acclaimed "Reagan's Revolution; The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All" about the 1976 campaign. He is now writing "Rendezvous with Destiny," about the 1980 Reagan campaign.

Hmmmm. Will watch for it.

Conservative fatigue lines

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[8mmMauser]

Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) and Oz, a thread by wagglebee...

"There's Emerald City! Oh, we're almost there at last! At last! It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be! He really must be a wonderful wizard to live in a city like that!" But as all who've seen The Wizard of Oz know, Dorothy's initial opinion was wrong.

This classic tale for children is instructive, however, especially for those in Congress intent on extending federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) beyond what the Bush administration has done. The funding balloon is inflated with promises of cures for diseases and new organs for replacement that defy research reality.

ESCR: It's Off to See the Wizard

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[BykrBayb]

Oz never did give nothin' to the tin man that he didn't already have.

[T'wit]

>> His comments about abortion and right and wrong reminded everyone of his principled support of life from Schiavo to parental notification and consent.

"Principled!" Either K-Lo didn't notice that Terri was killed on Jeb's watch or National Review has joined a Bush personality cult.

Jeb didn't have the guts of a kitten. Those kids who tried to bring Terri water had courage. Jeb should have been first in the line with a glass of water for Terri. Imagine those cops arresting the governor.

[8mmMauser]

Imagine those cops arresting the governor.

Fantastic as it may seem, unlikely as it may seem, we could have conceived the crisis to unfold had Jeb been the man of faith he is portrayed to be.

[T'wit]

I'm sorry, this is just very poorly written. It's more like an exercise in Oz trivia than an editorial about ESCs. Fine, use a solid example from Oz to make your point -- I did it myself once and it remains one of my favorite explications. But one example, please, not a dozen. Don't go flipping back and forth between Oz incidents and a dozen morals-to-the-story. That one good point, well argued, is what we're after; not a dozen that all get lost in the shuffle.

[T'wit]

And Cause never was the reason for the evening
Or the tropic of Sir Galahad.

Those guys were smoking something funny :-)

[T'wit]

Craig Shirley is pretty sound here, but he sure doesn't know squat about the Schiavo case. He's simply picked up the Demo talking points like some other senior conservatives. They all seem to think it's Karen Ann Quinlan redux. They don't even stop to think that that's ancient turf, a settled question that wouldn't have raised anyone's eyebrow. The Terri Schiavo case was no Christian Right exclusive either. It joined left and right, Tom Delay and Tom Harkin, atheist Nat Hentoff and Pope John Paul II.

In short, Terri brought landmark issues to the fore. And now we see otherwise solid, old-guard conservatives abandoning their principles and joining the ACLU-right to die-DNC pack hunt. Shame on them.

[T'wit]

I can't recall a CPAC I'll be happier to avoid :-)

[T'wit]

We certainly need more voices like Dr. Pasternak's. There is a good deal of information about Nazi doctors on the 'Net, but text and photos do not tell a story the way a man can. I hope some Freeper near Portland will be able to attend his lecture and give us a report.

[bjs1779]

Thanks for the info Pzenger.

[T'wit]

I've been running my own informal poll. I ask visitors if they have any explanation how Terri Schiavo, a healthy young woman at home asleep, suddenly ended up on the hallway floor, with extensive internal injuries, unconscious, unresponsive, in cardiac arrest and near death, right after Michael Schiavo got home late one Saturday night.

Nobody seems to want to answer this question.

[T'wit]

Btw, I am shocked, shocked, to see Michael Schiavo hanging out with Kos and the bitter Left. Why, he sounds just like some of the visitors to our Terri threads.

[8mmMauser]

Thanks, BB

Deciding to kill one's family member is a hard choice for some, perhaps made easier by a new law.

Methinks this law just might have helped Mikey if he had been in Pennsylvania at the time. Looks to me like it may have saved him some unsavory juggling with compliant judges. Perhaps others will interpret it differently.

When Kay Iellimo was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October, she didn't have a living will. But her family knew she didn't want to live hooked up to ventilators and struggling through chemotherapy treatments.

On Dec. 30, Iellimo, 74, died "beautifully and peacefully," with no attempts at resuscitation. The family had chosen her daughter, Sharon Panaia, to make the end-of-life care decisions for her.

Snip...

Today, a new Pennsylvania law governing end-of-life care decisions goes into effect. The law is designed to make the process easier on families and fulfill patients' wishes regarding life-sustaining measures. It seeks to avoid controversies such as the prolonged battle over the care of Terri Schiavo, who died in Florida in 2005.

Easing the way for hard choices

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[8mmMauser]

Thanks for finding this, pzenger. (Posted above at #1,1812)

So many for so long here tried to show a conservative side of cheering on Mikey for his deeds. Perhaps it was equivocal enough for many to be convinced that maybe Mikey was really doing something good. For those still clinging to lingering wistful dreams, here is one more clear illustration of the far left position of Mikey, a position I prefer to just call evil.

Mikey takes his daily kos.

Also he begs for money.

...........................

It’s almost two years now since Terri’s case and my life were front page news around the world.

It seems like just yesterday that right-wing radio shows and internet "news" sites were challenging the President and Congress to illegally inject themselves into my most private and personal decisions.

Everyone remembers what happened: they did.

And but for the courage of a few judges we all would have been witnesses to perhaps the most political and outrageous abuse of power. And if you’re reading this you know the political fall-out from their self-righteous decisions..................................

But wait, there's more! This is a sample. Be sure to read the rest of his stuff.

I'm asking - What Now? Need your input (poll).

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[8mmMauser]

More from Pennsylvania...

In an effort to reduce this occurrence, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is enacting a new law, beginning today, that gives certain family members more power than others.

The law, passed in November 2006, defines which family member is authorized to make medical decisions for a patient who is too incapacitated to make them, assuming that patient has no legal documentation defining his or her wishes.

The new law establishes a chain of command for surviving family members.

Law addresses end-of-life care

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[8mmMauser]

And more...

The American way of death has become a major public issue that goes well beyond the Schiavo case. No longer are life- and-death decisions made just by individuals and their families. Doctors, lawyers, insurance companies, politicians and judges have stepped into this highly personal arena.

As a society, we share an interest in determining what options are available, how they are accessed, and what rules are followed.

The Public Issues Forums of Centre County will host a deliberative discussion to help local residents talk about the question of what to do at the end of life.

Who should be making end-of-life decisions?

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[T'wit]

A noble nom. Do your friends call you Pete? :-)