Take care, will keep watch on Scott's situation.
8mm
Terri's younger sister, Suzanne Vitadamo, and brother, Bobby, shared their thoughts on Terri's tragic death with the National Catholic Register (paper edition, Jan 1-7, 2006). Below are excerpts from the interview.
Register: "Now that more than nine months have passed, how are you moving forward?"
Suzanne: "Every day we [Terri's family] hear from families who need our help. Our country took a step backward because Terri's case set a precedent that will make it easier to kill disabled people.
"People don't realize that what used to be considered basic care - providing food and water - is called an artificial means of sustaining life in some states now [including Florida].
"...not even allowed to give my sister an ice chip to ease her thirst."
"The pro-death movement was working under the radar for a long time, but we're on to it now; we know their protocol."
Bobby Schindler: "Our goal [of the Terri Foundation] is to get the truth out so no one else has to go through the same hell. It's taken us a while to realize that God used Terri to wake up this nation. Her death was a turning point to show that this can happen in America."
Suzanne: "Terri's death was slow, disgusting, and barbaric. My sister looked like an Auschwitz victim. It was a horrific image that I'll have with me until the day I die."
Bobby: "We had to pass through three security checkpoints and weren't allowed to be alone with her. There were canine units outside the hospice and police snipers on the roof." [compliments of the Pinellas County Sheriff'f Office and the Pinellas Park Police Dept]
"She was called a 'vegetable' but she touched people all over the world."
Suzanne: "She wasn't dying and she wasn't suffering, just disabled. If a hospice [Woodside Hospice] will admit patients only if they have six months to live, why was Terri housed in one for five years?"
"I'm so proud to be Terri's sister. Her incredible will fueled our fight. She taught me to apreciate every day, to love and never be afreaid, to fight for what you belive in, and that where there's life, there's hope. She taught me to see the value in every person and to realize that we're all here for a reason."