Posted on 03/27/2005 6:31:02 AM PST by gesully
When did Michael Schiavo first start trying to kill Terri? Mary Mostert March 23, 2005
Because I try to track down facts before I write about a subject, I have not written about Terri Schiavo and the battle over her condition. What actually happened to Terri back in 1990 that caused her to be the topic of world conversation today? Before we decide to permanently dispose of her, shouldn't we first find out how she got into this predicament?
Well, she collapsed, we are told by her husband Michael, in 1990 and was taken to the hospital . Some stories say she had a heart attack. Other stories, including a medical report by Dr. William Hammesfahr, a world-reknowned neurologist, totally refute any heart attack. Hammesfahr reported:
"Ms Schiavo was in her usual state of good health until 2/25/90, when her husband reported that he was awakened from sleep approximately 6 Am by her falling. He reports that she was unresponsive. "Paramedics were called, and aggressive resuscitation was performed with 7 defibrillations en route.
"In the Emergency Room, a possible diagnosis of heart attack was briefly entertained, but then dismissed after blood chemistries and serial EKG's did not show evidence of a heart attack."
Some reports guess that she collapsed due to an effort to lose weight — although, she was not at the time overweight. Hammesfahr's report stated:
"The patient had a difficult hospital course with the development of poorly controlled seizures and prolonged coma state requiring, for a time, ventilator support. However, the staff noted improvement, and it was recommended by several physicians that she be discharged to an intensive rehabilitation center."
In 1992, Michael Schiavo sued for malpractice and won over a $1 million. He was personally awarded $300,000 for his "loss" and $700,000 for Terri's rehabilitation and care for the rest of her natural life. However, the therapy, after the award, was not approved by Michael Schiavo and she was confined to a nursing home after the settlement.
It was after the settlement that Michael first claimed that Terri had previously stated that she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means — a statement he never mentioned during the malpractice trial. He has never produced any written proof that Terri said that.
Beginning almost immediately after receiving the malpractice funds, Michael Schiavo, as Terri's legal guardian, began to refuse approval for ANY therapy or rehabilitation efforts and she has been confined to bed.
Since 1995, Michael Schiavo has lived openly with a girlfriend, Jodi Centonze, with whom he has two children, while remaining legally married to Terri, as well as being her legal her guardian.
In 1998, Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to have Terri's feeding tube removed. In 2003, Michael Schiavo's attorneys reported that the trust fund was down to $50,000, with more than $430,000 going to "pay for court costs associated with her husband's legal battle to remove his wife's feeding tube." Meanwhile, Medicaid helps to pay Terri's $5,000-a-month nursing costs at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida. 13
During this time period, Terri's parents have attempted to gain guardianship over their daughter. During the legal battles that have ensued, in 2003 a deposition was taken from Dr. William Campbell Walker, a radiologist, concerning a bone scan the hospital did on Terri in 1991. That bone scan revealed what Dr. Walker reported at the time as "compression fracture in the 19 vertebral body of the spine."
For seven years as Terri has been consistently denied rehabilitation treatment that, according to several doctors, would have significantly improved her chances of recovery, Michael spent her money awarded for her therapy on lawyers trying to get her starved to death. Several doctors pointed out, including Dr. Hammesfahr, that Terri not only CAN swallow on her own, but frequently DOES swallow and pictures shown clearly indicate, as Hammesfahr and other testify, that she can and does respond to voice commands and particularly to her parents.
This would indicate that she is NOT in what the State of Florida defines as a "vegetative" state. It also makes me wonder, now that the feeding tube is removed, if any effort to help her swallow water or food is being made today, or whether under the court order spoon feeding also has been outlawed? Terri's parents, if they just came and got her and took her home, I guess would be arrested for kidnapping under Florida's legal system.
At this point, the legal system of Florida has, in the words of one legal observer, created the "framework for legal euthanasia." Of course, euthanasia is technically the practice of killing someone painlessly because they prefer death to life for whatever reason. I would not classify starvation as a "painless" way to die.
Dr. Hammesfahr stated in his report:
"In the spring of 2000, three physicians, including Dr. Jay Carpenter, who is a former Chief of Medicine at Morton Plant Hospital, filed affidavits after observing Ms. Schiavo. All three physicians stated that it is visually apparent that Ms Schiavo is able to swallow and, in fact, does swallow her own saliva.
"The patient continued with no physical therapy, communication or speech therapy, or routine medical screening evaluations and treatment such as dental care, mammography, gynecological exams or pap smears during this time."
Under these conditions and questions, it would appear to me that Terri SHOULD have a totally different guardian, such as her parents, until some questions are answered about the spinal and other injuries that appeared on her bone scan a decade ago. Why is it that a man who clearly wants his wife dead, cannot explain how she actually got into the state she is in, or produce ANY proof, other than his unsubstantiated words, that she would want to die, is being unquestioningly defended by the Florida courts?
Increasingly, it appears to me, that Terri would have gotten better care had her husband never won that malpractice suit and been given $1 million to spend — much of it on lawyers to legally kill off his wife.
It all makes me wonder just when Michael Schiavo made his first effort to kill Terri? Was it before or after she ended up in the hospital with an unexplained problem that put her in a coma?
Mary Mostert is a nationally-respected political writer. She was one of the first female political commentators to be published in a major metropolitan newspaper in the 1960s. After working in President Lyndon Johnson's failed War on Poverty programs in New York state, she became a Republican. She ran, unsuccessfully, for the New York State Senate and became campaign manager for a number of candidates. She once served as the secretary of "Positive Action NOW!"--a South African women's group that sought to reduce the hostility among South Africa's various racial, religious, and political groups.
In recent years, Mary has researched, written, and edited articles for national talk show host Michael Reagan's Information Interchange on the Internet, and for The REAGAN MONITOR, a monthly newsletter that provides in-depth information on key issues. Her book, COMING HOME - Families Can Stop the Unraveling of America," was published in 1996 by Gold Leaf Press. Mary maintains a political media site, Banner of Liberty. She can be contacted at mary@bannerofliberty.com . Click here for more information.
The Facts, as Stated in this Posting
1. In 1990, Terri Schiavo collapses in her home, husband, Michael Schiavo calls 911, Terri is taken to hospital, she remains in a coma, and no cause for her condition can be determined.
2. In 1992, on Terri’s behalf, Michael Schiavo sues the hospital for malpractice and wins over a million dollars, $300,000 for his "loss" and $700,000 for Terri's rehabilitation and care for the rest of her natural life. Immediately after receiving the malpractice funds, Michael Schiavo, as Terri's legal guardian, refuses approval for therapy or rehabilitation efforts and Terri is confined to bed.
3. For the next seven years, Michael Schiavo spends the money awarded for Terri Schiavo’s therapy and rehabilitation on lawyers trying to get her starved to death.
4. During this time, Terri Schiavo’s parents petition the court to relieve Michael Schiavo of any further responsibility for caring for her, and agree to accept all financial requirement for maintaining her life and rehabilitation.
5. To this date, none of the money awarded by the court for Terri Schiavo’s rehabilitation has been spent for its intended purpose, and no court has ever recognized this fact.
6. To this date, Michael Schiavo has successfully petitioned the court to end his wife’s life, and Terri Schiavo’s parents have unsuccessfully petitioned the court to save their daughter’s life.
Another motive now becomes chillingly clear.
This is such a travesty of justice, it would lead a suspicious mind to suspect that Michael Schiavo has spent the money intended for his wife’s rehabilitation to buy the services of attorneys who then used a portion of the money to buy favorable consideration from corrupt judges. How else would you explain it?
I am just being honest. I don't have a direct line to God and that's why I said I'm leaving Michael Schiavo up to Him. I'm not praying for Michael because I couldn't do it with a clean heart. Doesn't sound very nice, but I'd be fooling myself if I said I could pray for him right now.
See my post #91
BUMP!
VS
MICHAEL SCHIAVO: He came in the room, he wanted money. He testified he was angry he didn't get any.
LARRY KING: He wanted the money for himself?
SCHIAVO: Yes.
KING: Not for rehab for her?
SCHIAVO: No, he wanted the money for himself.
Obviously, this is a he-said-he-said situation. It all depends on which of the two men you believe. You believe Michael's version of the incident. Other people believe Robert Schindler's version of the incident. Both are polar opposites. And so are both sets of supporters.
Well, at least you are honest.
You are right. They thought she had it because of her low potassium. In bulemics, the throwing up causes electrolyte imbalance and drinking alot of water makes it worse. They just supposed it. And suddenly it was fact. Odd thing is that she had lost weight over a period of years and was not underweight. And bulemics die from cardiac arrest, remember Karen Carpenter.
An autopsy might explain all the broken bones in the bone scan too.
Are you aware that people who are in physically good shape suffer more from starvation and dehydration than people who are in the final stages of disease? It's been discussed in great detail on other threads. That's why, when you see a child dying from starvation, they are usually in pain. They started out healthy, so none of their organs had shut down, as is the case with many people in the final stages of disease.
He had a severe stroke a few years before. His brain had athrophied to a point where he was in a similar state in which Ms. Shiavo is in. (I said similar not the same). He absolutley could not communicate with anyone. My aunt worked so hard to take care of him. The family had a meeting with everyone including my family since they were like second parents to us. Yes, there was some disagreement at first, but then everybody thought about it and all of us just knew my uncle would not want this life if you can call it that. My aunt consulted with his doctors there were three of them. They all agreed with the family.
Job was the only reference I recalled immediately -- but I checked my concordance, and there's lots of good cites!
I agree with that. And your point is what?
I have heard that that hospice has been for a while undergoing investigation for Medicare fraud.
Should be T9, heart and lungs. Sounds like Michael put a foot on her back, crushing the breath out of her.....for several minutes.
Before it was removed even the Terri Shindler Shiavo Foundation website had mentioned she had suffered from the eating disorder. From what I understand from court papers one of the basis for the lawsuit was that she was not tested by her doctor.
I haven't seen a full explanation. I have read the malpractice suit was against her physician because he hadn't diagnosed her (alleged) bulimia. But I've also read that there was more than one doctor named in the suit. I've also read that the reason the award was so small (for severe lifetime disability) was the because the jury assigned 70% of the responsibility to Terri. I don't know why there was a settlement instead of a jury award, unless the doctors' insurer agreed not to appeal if Michael settled.
My point is that your uncle was already dying when they took out the feeding tube. His organs had already started closing down. Terri was in good physical condition when they began starving her to death. Despite what Felos claims, it is highly unlikely she was enjoying her experience.
Please, try to be realistic. Claiming that such deaths are blissful, as Felos does, and as you are trying to insinuate, only insults the intelligence of everyone reading. If it's so great, why aren't all the thrill-seekers who look for bliss in a pill or a bottle starving themselves to death instead? Cheap thrills, just quit eating and drinking!
For that matter, I think we should jail the people seeking money for starving children in (fill in the blank) for depriving them of such a delightful and wonderful experience--death by starvation and dehydration.
The parish I last lived in was understaffed and had its only daily Mass at 9:00, so they could fit funerals in at that Mass. I ended up going to a lot of funeral Masses. Only one had the urn with ashes instead of a coffin. And it was only too painfully obvious that none of the mourners had any idea what to do at a Catholic Mass. (Since there was no undertaker in front row setting an example.)
Interesting. MS said he never knew she had bullemia. And there is no test for bulemia, it is a diagnosis made by reports from others and the patient's admission. Really odd.
Even odder, more odd, was that I have seen mentioned that MS was seeing a psychiatrist and on meds at the time, the medicine bottles were some of his. I wondered what he was in treatment for.
Was there a trial and a settlement post verdict? I assumed it was settled before trial and the insurer wanted to avoid a big award. And maybe MS didn't want to go to trial, could not risk depositions maybe. At any rate I read an offhand remark he made about the award not being 20 million, clearly at one point he thought he would get a big check. And if malpractice was involved, it would have been.
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