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Our Hope Bears A Face |
By Terri's Sister, Suzanne
A top the mountains of the Sandias, Patricia White Bull filled her lungs with fresh mountain air. With a smile liken to that of a child on Christmas morning she stared of a brand new pair of running shoes vowing "I'm going to run". She watched her favorite football team; the Oakland Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs and gave her son a "high five". What makes these typical happenings so extraordinary for Patricia is that until December 24th 1999, she suffered from severe brain damage and was fed through a feed tub for 16 years. Patricia fell into a coma during the birth of her son due to a blood clot logging in her lung causing her heart to stop for several minutes. On that glorious Christmas Eve day, Patricia snapped back to consciousness without any medical explanation from her doctors.
Wow! My eyes filled with tears as I read this article. To me, Patricia White Bull was a sign. A HUGE, Divine sign of hope. The similarities between Patricia and Terri were uncanny. And after 16 years of being semi-conscious, Patricia awakened! Patricia was not absent all that time, as you would envision a person in a coma. Like Terri, Patricia was fed through a feed tube. Like Terri's eyes, Patricia's eyes were open, and they would sometimes track movement. Like Terri, she wasn't able to communicate. I can only tell you what we, Terri's family, see and feel when we visit her. She smiles, laughs and cries. The doctors tell me those responses are reflexes. Really? I look into her eyes and I know she "sees" me. The doctors tell me she doesn't. Is that so? She knows I'm there. The doctors tell me she isn't aware. How do they know? I put my hand inside hers, and she relaxes. The doctors' say I can't fit my hands inside hers hand because they are clenched too tightly. I most certainly do. Tell me, how is it that they know all of this? They have never even been in the room when I visit with Terri. They tell me Terri has no chance of recovery. Patricia White Bull's doctors told her family the same thing. Did they give up on her? What if they did? She would be dead. We can't give up on Terri. She has too much life inside her.
Patricia White Bulls family didn't give up on her. They didn’t starve her to death. Rather, they held on to hope that one day, given the new medical technology born everyday, Patricia would come back to them. And she did. We will never give up on Terri. She would never want us to give up on her. She would jump at the chance at awakening to re-live life again. We, her family, simply won't let her down.
Would you ever agree to literally starve your sister, brother, mother, father or, most importantly, child to death if they were very much alive?
Incredibly, there have been other instances reported to us similar to that of Terri's & Patricia's. Although, not as publicized, there is a young man in Oregon who was suffering from brain damage, similar to Terri and Patricia, with no hope of recovery. He is presently working out daily, unassisted on a treadmill. A woman in Georgia called my father and spoke of her sister who was in a similar state to that of Terri. She has since rejoined the community after a period of 20 years. Someone please tell me why is it that these people were given the proper treatment and the chance to fight for life and Terri is not? Why? What is the difference?
I will never understand or find meaning that surrounds many of the events that have taken place with my sister over the past years. All I can tell you is that we will continue to fight for what we know and believe is the right thing to do. And, we know and believe Terri would never want to starve to death. Somehow I do not believe Terri would condone her husband's unfaithful behavior with his betrothed live-in girlfriend. Some how I do not believe Terri would approve of her husband and his fiancé living a happy, materialistic life underwritten by 750K in Terri's medical fund at the expense of Terri's life!
We fight for Terri's life with all the love & strength that God will bestow us.
the terri schindler-schiavo foundation
4615 gulf blvd # 104-103, saint petersburg beach, fl 33706
tax id number 23-3031168