I watched my brother who was 35 pass away from cancer. He had had a feeding tube, and it decayed inside his body and he was not getting nourishment. He had gone in and out of consciousness for a while. He had asked his wife to keep him at home, with his family, so he could die there. It was an extremely difficult time for her; the children (3) were age 2,5, and 10. But she did it. On Dec 11th he asked her to call the family to visit on the 16th. It was eerie. We wondered why he picked that date. We all lived very far away, but we all came. I remember leaning over and asking him if he was hungry. He did not respond. We ribbed his lips with a lotion, and swabbed his mouth with lemon sticks. He made no reaction. I told him I loved him, and and stroked his hand. He did not feel me do it, but then I whispered in his ear hoping somehow the message reached him. He was not in a "coma" per se. But, for the most part, everything had shut down. He could not see, he could not speak, and he had lost control of all bodily functions. Nothing responded. And, he could not even feel any sensation or pain anymore. You could prick him with a pin and he would not even move. He passed on the morning of the 17th at 11:00 a.m. just after everyone had been in to see him. He knew.
The doctors explained that he felt no pain, and no hunger because all his nerves and senses had stopped functioning long beforehand. It is not like starving someone who has all of their senses, or like an animal out in the woods who is without food. My brother had already lost all ability to “feel” things as a human feels them.
As I understand it, Terri’s brain stem has been destroyed; hence she would have the same “non-feeling” about being left without food.
Now I know they say Terri has some sensations, but I do believe that for the most part she is already dying slowly, and as that continues, so will any remaining feelings. I do not think, and as many doctors have said, that she will feel pain as you and I do.
Thus, I do not hold to the “starvation” aspect. Mine reason for wanting her given to her parents is of a different belief: That is that no one should be left to die alone when there are people who love them and can be with them. If, by the miraculous chance Terri can re-gain some aspect of her former “self” that would be wonderful. Improving her quality of life, is certainly to be considered and worth any effort. But that can only happen if she is given over to her parents, whom I am sure, desire to do that. Otherwise, if her life is not to improve, she should be coddled in their loving arms when she goes to meet her Maker. Michael is being totally selfish in not giving her that final comfort.
