Affidavit of Carla Iyer, nurse who cared for Terri Schiavo from April 1995 to July 1996

Terri's Fight (website established on Terri's behalf by her parents and that side of the family) ^ | August 29, 2003 | Carla Iyer

[First_Salute]

AFFIDAVIT
_________

STATE OF FLORIDA )
COUNTY OF PINELLAS )

BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA
SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make
this statement of my own personal knowledge.

2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed
continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a
Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.

3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in
Largo, Florida from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo
was a patient there.

4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri
Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for
any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial
training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael
Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated." This struck me as
extremely odd.

-1-

5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance
whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere
throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation.
Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be
close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always
had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as
"This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and
uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you,
getting right in your face and practically shouting.

6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for
Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to
believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens
while I was there. I became concerned because Michael wanted
nothing done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of
motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and
again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no
range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named
Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a
wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together,

-2-

and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and
misrepresented by Michael. When I worked with her, she was alert
and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence,
saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in
fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds
of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in
discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n"
sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort
by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal
area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included
pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or
moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a
bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper
and scooted in bed on her bottom.

8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always
recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way
toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a
"hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound

-3-

being only a second or two long. When I told her humrous stories
about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle,
sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body,
upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need
to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in
her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but
by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart.
Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's,
someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always
demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in
her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well,
writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would
always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote
so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive
entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job
was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a
patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act,
and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.

9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused

-4-

on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?,"
"Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?" These
statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would
make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was
talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I
recall him making include "Can't anything be done to accelerate her
death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would
be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be
given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure
the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word
for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the
end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be
contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that
said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael
immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they
should know about their daughter.

10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her
lungs, colds, or pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled
even, hoping that she would die. He would say something like,

-5-

"Hallelujah! You've made my day!" He would call me, as I was the
nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her
temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently
asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!"
and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died,
which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among
other things.

11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the
door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically
be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be
trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold
sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction,
so I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low
it was below the range where it would register an actual number
reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This
happened about five times on my shift, as I recall. Normally Terri's
blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet
through tube feeding. It is medically possible that Michael injected
Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting, but I don't have

-6-

any way of knowing for sure.

12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I
became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the
reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named
Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular
concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift,
but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as
"They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact
that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments
about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it
was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he
complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the
time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth
more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to
this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were
cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat."

13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated
by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would
do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at

-7-

night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these
phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would
tell me afterward and relay orders from him.

14. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by
and let Terri die without the truth being known.

FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.

<signed>
CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N.

The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this 29 day of August,
2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida's driver's license
as identification, and who did take an oath.

<signed Patricia J. Anderson>
Notary Public

My commission expires
<Notary seal of Patricia J. Anderson>

 

[Catspaw]

Unless you can post to without your hysterical use of capital letters, please don't ping me again.

[Concerned]

WILLIAM TERRELL WROTE: "This is a case of a husband seeking release to die for his wife, who is in a persistant vegetative state."

I AM RESPONDING: "NO! It is NOT!
Terri is NOT BRAINDEAD!!!!!
Terri is NOT COMATOSE!!!
Terri is NOT in a PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE!!!!

WILLIAM TERRELL ADDED: "Yes, there are suspicious circumstances. Yes, the husband stands to gain from her death. But, the fact is that no one here knows what Terri's wishes are. No one here took vows of marriage to her. Only her husband."

I AM RESPONDING: "Had Terri WANTED no "life support," she had EVERY OPPORTUNITY---just like you and I have---to PUT IT IN WRITING!!! By her CHOOSING NOT to do so, she MADE her CHOICE---TERRI CHOSE LIFE---WITH intervention!"

I AM ADDING: "BTW, a "feeding tube"---aka a "G-Tube"---is a simple, approximately 12" long, stethescope-type tube with either an inflatable or non-inflatable bulb on the end to keep it inside the stomach. It is NO BIG DEAL to insert one and it is NO BIG DEAL to wind it up and store it against the body under a shirt---and NO ONE will know someone has one (unless they see them "eating."

WILLIAM TERRELL ADDED: "If he does this with evil and gain in his heart, that is GOD'S business. The public has no business in it."

I AM ADDING: "You are correct that it is God's business, but it is ALSO OUR business---i.e. the PUBLIC's business!
Just as we cannot allow a woman to be RAPED inside someone's home,
or a child to be BEATEN inside someone's home,
or a man to be SHOT inside someone's home,
NEITHER can we allow a woman to be STRANGLED inside her own home
or a DISABLED person to be ABUSED in a hospice,
or or a DISABLED person to be DISCRIMINATED AGAINST on the basis of their DISABILITY!!!!!

WILLIAM TERRELL ADDED: "I understand the problem and the fear of many. Should this become a precedent, then we, ourselves, may be in a similar situation where we are conscious and unable to communicate and do not want to die. We can put ourselves, in our ignorance, in Terri's place, and feel the fear of death we don't wish."

I AM RESPONDING: "Would you please show me the WRITTEN, NOTARIZED DOCUMENTED STATEMENT or LIVING WILL in which Terri CHOSE STARVATION and DEHYDRATION?" "LOVING" Hitleresque-husband Michael's CLAIMS of Terri's wishes are PURELY HEARSAY!

I AM ADDING: "Unless TERRI CHOSE it (i.e. NOT "LOVING" Hitleresque-husband Michael)---beyond a REASONABLE DOUBT---Terri should NOT be CONDEMNED to a DEATH PENALTY which even the most heinous MURDERER would not receive without having EVIDENCE of GUILT which is BELIEVABLE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT!"

WILLIAM TERRELL ADDED: "But how many have been screaming inside to die, unable to screan outwardly, and been denied that by machine and medicine? Distinguishing from the senario in the last paragraph, what may happen when we may be in a vegetative hell, screaming to get out and the public won't let us die."

I AM ADDING: "If someone is "of age," it is their RESPONSIBILITY to make a Living Will. My hope is that people will make their wishes known IN WRITING as a POSITIVE result of Terri's case."

[fml]

--saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in
fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds
of times--

This is just so sad. May God punish that awful husband of hers.

[William Terrell]

Read my other posts on that thread.

Just as we cannot allow a woman to be RAPED inside someone's home, or a child to be BEATEN inside someone's home, or a man to be SHOT inside someone's home, NEITHER can we allow a woman to be STRANGLED inside her own home or a DISABLED person to be ABUSED in a hospice, or or a DISABLED person to be DISCRIMINATED AGAINST on the basis of their DISABILITY!!!!!

All these involve injury to another within the scope of criminal laws. This involves the responsibility of Terri's husband in a private matter, however well or badly he discharges it.

Currently, there appear to be doctors that have judged she is not in a vegetative state. That satisfies me.

BTW, I'm not criticising or anything, but I found your post hard to read with all the caps and underlines; it confused my eye and I kept wanting to skip over most of it. It's ok to use regular letters. People will read it.

[narses]

FYI

[Normally a Lurker]

Thanks for the ping, but I read this a few days ago and agreed with comment #4. The facility could not and would not have allowed these things to happen. And the implied incentive is that for the revenue from ONE patient, they would run the risk of loosing the entire facility / having it closed.

And apparently the court found her to not be believable either. But, I guess if it's want one wants to hear, it becomes believable - to them.

[Concerned]

I HAD WRITTEN: "Just as we cannot allow a woman to be RAPED inside someone's home, or a child to be BEATEN inside someone's home, or a man to be SHOT inside someone's home, NEITHER can we allow a woman to be STRANGLED inside her own home or a DISABLED person to be ABUSED in a hospice, or or a DISABLED person to be DISCRIMINATED AGAINST on the basis of their DISABILITY!!!!!"

WILLIAM TERRELL RESPONDED: "All these involve injury to another within the scope of criminal laws. This involves the responsibility of Terri's husband in a private matter, however well or badly he discharges it."

I AM RESPONDING: "Only partly. If "LOVING" Hitleresque-husband Michael STRANGLED Terri or BEAT Terri to a pulp that fateful night (her bone scan is consistent with both), leaving her in a near death, severely brain-damaged state (say after having told him she wanted a divorce), THAT would be the CRIME of ATTEMPTED MURDER!"

I AM ADDING: "Since "LOVING" Hitleresque-husband has failed to use ANY of Terri's $750,000.00 REHAB money for Terri's REHAB (after he SWORE under oath to do so), and has instead used it for lawyers to fight with and bankrupt the Schindlers (with the outrageous blessing of HIGHLY-conflicted Judge Greer), that is Misapplication of Fiduciary Property---another CRIME!"

I AM ADDING: "Check out an interesting story about another man who STRANGLED his wife and left her brain-damaged:

http://www.handwriting.org/archives/99may_03.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/nns180.htm

WILLIAM TERRELL ADDED: "Currently, there appear to be doctors that have judged she is not in a vegetative state. That satisfies me."

I AM ADDING: "I particularly believe MY eyes AND Terri's former nurses (and other medical professionals) who have worked with Terri and who have no conflict of interest."

WILLIAM TERRELL WROTE: "BTW, I'm not criticising or anything, but I found your post hard to read with all the caps and underlines; it confused my eye and I kept wanting to skip over most of it. It's ok to use regular letters. People will read it."

I AM RESPONDING: "Thank you for your comments. I am just sooooooo frustrated that "LOVING" Hitleresque-husband Michael has (so far) gotten away with probable attempted murder, perjury, obstruction of justice and misapplication of fiduciary property---ALL CRIMES---that I have used a lot of caps and bold underlining. I'll try to go on a bold-cap diet...not to be confused with the Atkins diet...LOL."

[rdcorso]

We won't ever know the truth about these allegations when the judge won't even look at the evidence.He claims the politicians are pushing the allegations of abuse at the request of the family.Could you imagine how outraged this judge would be if he was being treated like Terri's father?He feels that it's OK for a high and mighty judge like himself to treat loving parents who are trying to save their daughter's life like second class citizens.To him their wishes mean absolutely nothing even when it's obvious that Terri's husband has ulterior motives.I spit on him for being such a callous asshle.

[FormerACLUmember]

So what is your problem with having this investigated in the light of day, Mr. Sciavo?

[buffyt]

So glad you posted this. I heard Rush refer to it earlier today. I was working in the frontyard flower beds on this beautiful, warm, sunny spring day, and listening to Rush, and thinking about Terry. I wish she could get well enough to go outside and enjoy sunshine again.

[First_Salute]

You might also want to see this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1366396/posts?page=135#135

FRPR Polybius, who is a radiologist, describes the CT scan of Terri's head, that is available online (you'll see the scan image, too).

In my humble opinion...

The news stories that incredibly echo false citations, that are used by the liberals and liberal media, to make claims that Terri "has no cortex" and "therefore no cognitive ability" ... are just bunk.

What she has is a case of hydrocephalus, and she has a shunt in place, to drain off the excess fluid.

In addition, the reasons for having hydrocephalus, may be chemical causes, mechanical forces (less than desireable flow of of spinal fluid, some bottleneck backing up fluid and thus the higher fluid pressure squeezes the cells), or both.

Anyway, Terri does have some cortex, though not near in size to what we'd like to see in a "healthy head," you might say; yet that does not necessarily require that she not have some mind of her own.

She still may; it is a possibility.

[aShepard]

Wow! Big time stuff, but We need veracity!

Questions for the witness:

Did she ever spend time over Christmas in Cambodia??

Is she able to swim the channel between Chappaquidik and Martha's Vineyard??

Does she know what "is" means??

Did she stuff the nurse's notes in her socks, while the security guards weren't looking??

Did she know the meaning of "Iraq WMD's" before Bush took office, or has that memory been erased by the Clintonista's??

If her allegations are true, and she's willing to raise her right arm, this is mind-blowing! And, if true, why hasn't it been entered in court for these past seven years??

[thoughtomator]

I'm afraid I would have to outbid you for that privelege.

[Velveeta]

bump

[gnopgip]

This is the first time I have heard this nures testimony as I saw her on Fox News this morning. I immediately questioned her story and motives when she mentions the incident(s) where the husband is in the room for 20minutes, and bottle of regular insulin is found, and then the pt is both hysterical and lethargic with a glucometer reading of "LO." On TV, she states she found several needle marks, insinuating injection sites of insulin. The nurse describes regular insulin as a fast acting insulin, and goes on to state on TV that she would be going into hypoglycemic coma, etc. As a physician, I have serious doubts about this scenario, simply based on the fact that regular insulin does not work in only 20 minutes, but more like 2 hours. Now if it were given IV, this would be a different story, but the fact that she is in a long term home makes it unlikely that she would have it in place. The nurse points out several "needle marks" on her body, so she is implying a subcutaneous injection, which as I have said, simply cannot work that fast. Furthermore, I have never seen a patient both lethargic and crying hysterically as she described on TV.

The rest of her allegations sound very fantastic, especially as there are no corroborating stories. And if she were so concerned about this patient and had such postive interactions while the patient was under her care, why not be more outspoken earlier on? Needless to say, count me as a very skeptical of her testimony. At least she got to appear on TV...

[Republican Red]

The nurse's affidavit posted on another thread (too long to post here)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1006944/posts

The date on the affidavit is Aug 29, 2003. Seems that she did get involved awhile back but for some reason the family is not highlighting her testimony. Either it is deemed hearsay, skeptical or unreliable or the family chose to go another route with their fight.

Seems to me the best course of action now is to make Michael out to be the criminal he is.

[gnopgip]

Yes, Aug 2003, but that was only 1 1/2 years ago, and this first came into light around 2000. If she felt such atrocities as she described were being committed, she still should have pursued this much earlier, even before this came into the clutches of the legal system and now various emotionally charged legislators.

[Republican Red]

According to the interview on Fox this morning she went to the police and filed a complaint when this happened. If true, and I would assume you could prove the exsistance of a police report, she involved herself in the very beginning. Her reward for her involvement was to be fired.

I would hope I wouldn't be intimidated by being fired but who knows how one would react.

[paltz]

BTT>>FR WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE WAS.

[Slyfox]

I can imagine Scott Peterson having a V-8 moment.

"Why didn't I think of doing the same thing to Laci?

Hell, I'd be in the clear right now."