Mark Fuhrman: The facts of Terri Schiavo’s life (I read his new book today - five stars

MSNBC ^ | June 28 05 | Fuhrman

[tbritton]

I'm sorry you lost your son but join in your joy that he saved others lives.

Thank you. Besides our own 3 other children (all now young adults), we have been delighted to follow the lives of the 5 (of 8) surviving children (also now young adults) who received our son's organs. It was his gift, not ours.

But you did say he had an electrolyte imbalance that caused his death. For that I'm sorry but that doesn't apply to Terri as she was given drugs to jump start her heart that would have caused an imbalance. In her case, it couldn't be shown to be the cause because of the administered drugs.

Our son was also given drugs (IVs and direct injections) to "jump start" his heart, and, like Terri Schiavo, was worked over by dedicated EMTs and ER personnel for, quite literally, several hours prior to stabilization. His autopsy (again, performed within 72 hours of his cardiac arrest, not 15+ years later) took into account those resuscitation efforts.

I don't compare our son to Terri Schiavo...they are both individuals who deserve their separate lives and their separate deaths. The question was whether or not a young person would/could suffer an (ultimately fatal) cardiac arrest. In our son's case, the answer is yes. Following his death, we discovered that, in fact, unexplained cardiac arrest resulting in death was not all that uncommon among both young and older persons.

And you are absolutely correct that neither Terri Schiavo's autopsy, nor her initial hospital admission records (considering the extraordinary life-saving measures taken), could definitively confirm the presence, nor the absence, of an electrolyte imbalance (or a drug interaction/overdose, or an issue related to bulimic binging/purging) which might have been a "cause" of her original cardiac arrest. The only thing that the autopsy results ruled out--absolutely--as a cause of that original collapse (and only because of the extensive examinations and imaging undergone by Terri Schiavo within the first 72 hours following her cardiac arrest) was abuse. It is completely understandable that, at the time of her initial collapse, the treating EMTs, and then the hospital ER, as well as both her parents and husband, set a priority on saving Terri's life, not preserving her original and untainted blood chemistry for potential diagnosis and ultimate autopsy. That seems entirely appropriate to me.

[DJ MacWoW]

The only thing that the autopsy results ruled out--absolutely--as a cause of that original collapse (and only because of the extensive examinations and imaging undergone by Terri Schiavo within the first 72 hours following her cardiac arrest) was abuse.

Actually, it didn't. There are all kinds of abuse. They don't all result in broken bones.

I have to go to bed. I hope to talk to you again. Have a lovely evening.

[malakhi]

Why did Mr. Schiavo forget to use his CPR training?

He likely panicked. Treating a stranger is different than finding a family member PNB.

[malakhi]

I'm sorry for the loss of your son, and I appreciate you weighing in with your personal experience.

[tbritton]

I'm sorry for the loss of your son, and I appreciate you weighing in with your personal experience.

Thank you. Good night to you.

Tee

[jonrick46]

"He likely panicked. Treating a stranger is different than finding a family member PNB."

I wonder what observations the paramedics who arrived at the scene that fatefull night might have recorded and what was written down concerning what Mr. Schiavo had to say about the events. The idea of panic is interesting, but as Sgt. Joe Friday used to say, "All we want are the facts, ma'am!"

[L.N. Smithee]

Hey, pally baby, you are a racist by your own words. In context. You race-identified yourself as a "black man".

Obviously, you don't even know what a "racist" is. Click. Learn. And don't ping me again until you're ready to admit you're wrong.

[bvw]

You're the one who identified yourself as a member of a "race". I am too. The human race. The ONLY non-racist race, btw. Learn.

[marajade]

Thanks for your post. You've stated all I need to know... comparing MS with a Nazi.

[JoniKathy]

We are buying the book - in fact, we will call our local Barnes & Noble and Books a Million to force them to put it on their shelves if they don't have the book. We will request both, if for no other reason to make sure it is available to all in Wilmington, NC.

The sad part of all this is we watched our family take out a loved one with the inducement of ativan and fentanyl and Hospice in 7 days. We sat in horror watching the evil that took place and how they treated us like the enemy. The horror is knowing what we as a society will accept this and Terri Schiavo's death in the name of politically correct tolerance, but our minds do not accept this as morally acceptable. The devil is pervasive in our world and once again we saw his ugly head in what happened to Terri Schiavo. How can we as a society be so apathetic and selfish to let innocent life die to convenience without due process for life! So many wrongs accepted so wrongly!

Bev