Terry Schiavo Feeding Tube Removed

Im not sure how I feel. I feel bad and I do think I would want to be kept a live BUT anyway.... Did they remove it or not?

I read part of this thread but not all of it and I wanted to clear up something that I saw if it has not already been clarified.

Terry Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 following a heart attack. To my knowledge, her husband did not strangle her as someone said before. She had a potassium deficiency that led to the heart attack and collapse which damaged her brain.

See here: http://civilliberty.about.com/cs/humaneuthinasia/a/bgTerry.htm

As for the courts involvement, her parents and her husband have been battling in the courts for a long time.

Lisa

I found this interesting
'The Schindlers also said Michael Schiavo wants their daughter dead so he can marry his longtime girlfriend, with whom he has young children. They have begged him to divorce their daughter, and let them care for her. '
I didnt know he had moved on already.

Does anyone think hes doing this to get at his past inlaws? I know that sounds horrible, just a thought.

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Posted by honestmommy

I found this interesting
'The Schindlers also said Michael Schiavo wants their daughter dead so he can marry his longtime girlfriend, with whom he has young children. They have begged him to divorce their daughter, and let them care for her. '
I didnt know he had moved on already.

Does anyone think hes doing this to get at his past inlaws? I know that sounds horrible, just a thought.

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Maybe he is just trying to do the humane thing and not forcefully keep her alive with no quality of life.

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Posted by honestmommy

I found this interesting
'The Schindlers also said Michael Schiavo wants their daughter dead so he can marry his longtime girlfriend, with whom he has young children. They have begged him to divorce their daughter, and let them care for her. '
I didnt know he had moved on already.

Does anyone think hes doing this to get at his past inlaws? I know that sounds horrible, just a thought.

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I KNOW what Darren's wishes are although he has YET to officially right them down, I don't think his parents do. If I were in the same situation and I KNEW that if I 'divorce' him while in a vegatative state that his parents will keep him alive which was against his wishes, I wouldn't divorce him either.

I would not want to exist as she is, b/c IMO, that is not living. Responding to music is not my idea of being fully alive.

What I find most horrifying about Terry's situation- more than her present existence OR letting her die- is that the tube has been removed and reinserted TWICE!!!!!! I was so shocked and saddened by that, I couldn't even tell you. This poor woman was starved TWICE!!! I am not a parent, but I could not endure a loved one getting yanked back and forth like that. I'd let her go.

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Posted by Summerbride04

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Posted by lilmrs

PREPARE a LIVING WILL! This is why.

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I cannot emphasize this enough. Make your wishes known to your family and friends so there is no argument over what you wanted!!!!
Your never to young to make a health care proxy.

P.S. Living wills are not recognized in NY make a health care proxy and put someone trustworthy in charge.

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It is so important to have a Health Care Proxy. It is not enough to 'think' about what you would want, or even to express it to those around you. Health Care Proxies are easy to prepare- I prepared several for free in my Elder Law Clinic last semester. It's important to think about your future.

What a tough situation. I feel sorry for all involved.

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Posted by honestmommy

I just heard 3 men were arrested from trying to bring her bread and water. I think it was on fox news?

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What would that accomplish?
She has been fed through a tube for hte last 15 years, I would think that is because she can not eat on her own, what did they intend to do with it?

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Posted by RedHead

Sue...even if she is able to be at the level of someone severly retarded...it isn't a life
WHen her parents die she will be in the care of a state or private operated facility and i am telling y ou...

being severly retarded is not something to aspire to be!

If you think that she will have any real quailty of live you are fooling yourselves and GLADLY welcome you all to where i work....

ANd you will see

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I guess I have a problem with what is considered quality of life and what isn't.. it's a very dangerous place to tread- making definitions in this way. Is it an awful thing the way her life turned out? yes. Would I want to trade places with her? Of course not. Do I have a problem starving her to death because someone says, 'that's not quality of life so she has to die'. yes.

I just dont' think it is our jobs as human beings to value one life over another. Of dispose of a life because it doesn't fit to our defined standard of 'quality of life'...

There are a lot of sick people out there that do not enjoy the 'quality of life' that we do- but to simply say- it's no quality of life, and basically murder them is wrong.

At this point in time, with him having another relationship and children he should reliniquish his rights.. If this happened to me, I would want my mother to make the decision for me.. and I certainly told my husband that.

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Posted by lrs2005

I read part of this thread but not all of it and I wanted to clear up something that I saw if it has not already been clarified.

Terry Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 following a heart attack. To my knowledge, her husband did not strangle her as someone said before. She had a potassium deficiency that led to the heart attack and collapse which damaged her brain.

See here: http://civilliberty.about.com/cs/humaneuthinasia/a/bgTerry.htm

As for the courts involvement, her parents and her husband have been battling in the courts for a long time.

Lisa

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read carefully... I had said some source i saw online had said that.. and I had doubts about the validity.

I keep going back and forth with this issue, i see both sides of the fight. But no matter what, i don't think the decision should be in the hands of the 'husband', but then again it is sad the parents are holding on this way. I know if it were my child I wouldn't want her to live that way.

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Posted by Sassyz75

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Posted by RedHead

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Posted by Sassyz75

so, does that mean we should change or level of care or just let everyone die?

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sassy would you want to live your life like that...

The brain is a mysterious thing...should we keep everyone alive in comas?

You really don't know what you are tlaking about (and i am not saying that to be mean) i have A LOT of experience in this field and i am telling you...she should be let go!

NO this isn't quality of life...sitting in a bed responding to music IS NOT quality of life...and you know it

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I would want to be kept alive and I would want some type of therapy... I mean, look at Chris Reeve- he was actually getting movement in his toes with therapy and they said it would/could never happen.. I think it's a shame that they didn't even try on this woman...

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Chris Reeves had a spinal cord injury, NOT a brain injury. There are huge differences between a completely cognitively normal person with physical impairments and someone who is severely cognitively impaired. I also work with TBI patients and feel 'Redhead' is really on in her assessment of the situation and in her facts.

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Posted by 1017Bride

What a tough situation. I feel sorry for all involved.

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Absolutely! Very simply and very well said.

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Posted by Goldi1021

My father has been in the hospital for the past 5 and a half months on a feeding tube. He has Alzheimers disease as well. So his brain functioning is not as it was. He also has a trach tube and an ileostomy bag and a foley catheter. He has various other ailments that will eventually get the best of him and cause him to die in the very near future. However, he is still responsive and has a soul. Nothing will be pulled. To pull a feeding tube is flat out cruel. We will help him live a comfortable life as long as he is on this earth. (That is all Terry's parents saked for from her husband. They would have allowed him to continue his life with his new family.) When it is my father's time, G-d will take him easily. Put yourself in those shoes and see if you could stop a person from living. It was NEVER an option for my family.

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YES i could...would you keep your father they way he is for 15 years?
Seeing him like that....i don't think you could make him go through that! There is no end for this woman...this is her LIFE not death...
Your father has brain that is functioning...she DOESN'T...never will. What is keeping a feeding tube going to do?

I am sorry foryour situation...i have been there but there is a HUGE difference in situations