--- In [email protected], "feste37" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
+++++ This is one of many posts that I have here which would make one wonder what the vested interests and media are covering up. N. > > If you read this, I think you'll be surprised. I was. > > > A Visit With Terri Schiavo > > Attorney Barbara Weller > > This past Christmas Eve day, 2004, I went to visit Terri Schiavo with > her > parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, her sister, her niece, and Attorney > David > Gibbs III. The visit took place at the Woodside Hospice for about 45 > minutes > just before noon. > > When I knew I was going to visit Terri with her parents, I had no > idea what to > expect. I was prepared for the possibility that the Schindlers love > their > daughter and sister so much that they might imagine behaviors by > Terri that > aren't actually evident to others. The media and Mr. Schiavo clearly > give the > impression that Terri is in a coma or comatose state and engages only > in non- > purposeful and reflexive movements and responses. I am a mother and a > grandmother, as well as one of the Schindlers' attorneys, and I > could > understand how parents might imagine behavior and purposeful activity > that > is not really there. I was prepared to be as objective as I could be > during this > visit and not to be disappointed at anything I saw or experienced. > > I was truly surprised at what I saw from the moment we entered the > little room > where Terri is confined. The room is a little wider than the width of > two single > beds and about as long as the average bedroom, with plenty of room > for us to > stand at the foot of her bed. Terri is on the first floor and there > is a lovely view > to the outside grounds of the facility. The room is entered by a > short hallway, > however, and there is no way for Terri to see out into the hallway or > for > anyone in the hallway to observe Terri. > > From the moment we entered the room, my impression was that Terri was > very purposeful and interactive and she seemed very curious about the > presence of obvious strangers in her room. Terri was not in bed, but > was in > her chair, which has a lounge chair appearance and elevates her head > at > about a 30-degree angle. She was dressed and washed, her hair combed, > and she was covered with a holiday blanket. There were no tubes of > any kind > attached to her body. She was completely free of any restraints that > would > have indicated any type of artificial life support. Not even her > feeding tube > was attached and functioning when we entered, as she is not fed 24 > hours a > day. > > The thing that surprised me the most about Terri as I took my turn to > greet her > by the side of her chair was how beautiful she is. I would have > expected to > see someone with a sallow and gray complexion and a sick looking > countenance. Instead, I saw a very pretty woman with a peaches and > cream > complexion and a lovely smile, which she even politely extended to me > as I > introduced myself to her. I was amazed that someone who had not been > outside for so many years and who received such minimal health care > could > look so beautiful. She appeared to have an inner light radiating from > her face. > I was truly taken aback by her beauty, particularly under the adverse > circumstances in which she has found herself for so many years. > > Terri's parents, sister, and niece went immediately to greet > Terri when we > entered the room and stood in turn directly beside her head, stroking > her face, > kissing her and talking quietly with her. When she heard their > voices, and > particularly her mother's voice, Terri instantly turned her head > towards them > and smiled. Terri established eye contact with her family, > particularly with her > mother, who spent the most time with her during our visit. It was > obvious that > she recognized the voices in the room with the exception of one. > Although her > mother was talking to her at the time, she obviously had heard a new > voice > and exhibited a curious demeanor. Attorney Gibbs was having a > conversation > near the door with Terri's sister. His voice is very deep and > resonant and Terri > obviously picked it up. Her eyes widened as if to say, > "What's that new sound I > hear?" She scanned the room with her eyes, even turning her head > in his > direction, until she found Attorney Gibbs and the location of the new > voice and > her eyes rested momentarily in his direction. She then returned to > interacting > with her mother. > > When her mother was close to her, Terri's whole face lit up. She > smiled. She > looked directly at her mother and she made all sorts of happy sounds. > When > her mother talked to her, Terri was quiet and obviously listening. > When she > stopped, Terri started vocalizing. The vocalizations seemed to be a > pattern, > not merely random or reflexive at all. There is definitely a pattern > of Terri > having a conversation with her mother as best she can manage. > Initially, she > used the vocalization of "uh'uh" but without seeming to > mean it as a way of > saying "no", just as a repeated speech pattern. She then > began to make > purposeful grunts in response to her mother's conversation. She > made the > same sorts of sound with her father and sister, but not to the same > extent or as > delightedly as with her mother. She made no verbal response to her > niece or > to Attorney Gibbs and myself, but she did appear to pay attention to > our words > to her. > > The whole experience was rather moving. Terri definitely has a > personality. > Her whole demeanor definitely changes when her mother speaks with > her. > She lights up and appears to be delighted at the interaction. She has > an > entirely different reaction to her father who jokes with her and has > several > standing jokes that he uses when he enters and exits her presence. > She > appears to merely "tolerate" her father, as a child does when > she says "stop" > but really means, "this is fun." When her father greets her, > he always does the > same thing. He says, "here comes the hug" and hugs her. He > then says, "you > know what's coming next---the kiss." Her father has a > scratchy mustache and > both times when he went through this little joke routine with her, > she laughed > in a way she did not do with anyone else. When her father is ready to > plant > the kiss on her cheek, she immediately makes a face her family calls > the > "lemon face." She puckers her lips, screws up her whole face, > and turns away > from him, as if making ready for the scratchy assault on her cheek > that she > knows is coming. She did the exact same thing both times that her > father > initiated this little routine joke between the two of them. > > The interactions with her family and our appearance in her room > appeared to > require some effort and exertion from Terri. From time to time, she > would close > her eyes as if to rest. This happened primarily when no one was > paying > particular attention to her, but we were talking among ourselves. > After a few > minutes or when one of the visitors approached her and started to > talk directly > to her again, Terri would open her eyes and begin her grunting sounds > again > in response to their conversations. Although I approached her, leaned > close > and stroked her arms and spoke to her, she did not verbally respond > to me. > > Terri's hands are curled up around little soft cylinders that > help her not to > injure herself. I understand that these contractures are likely very > painful, > although there was a time when Terri was receiving simple motion > therapy > when her hands and arms relaxed and were no longer as constricted. > When > the therapy was discontinued by order of her guardian and the court, > the > contractures returned. These contractures would apparently be > avoidable if > Terri were given the simple range of motion therapy she previously > received. > It is very sad to observe firsthand these conditions that make her > life more > difficult, but that would be correctable with little effort. > > When we were preparing to leave, the interactions with Terri changed. > First, > she went through the joke routine with her father and the "lemon > face." When > her niece said goodbye to her, Terri did not react. Nor did she react > to me or > to Attorney Gibbs when we said our goodbyes to her. When her sister > went to > her to say goodbye, Terri's verbalizations changed dramatically. > Instead of > the happy grunting and "uh uh" sounds she had been making > throughout the > visit, her verbalizations at these goodbyes changed to a very low and > different > sound that appeared to come from deep in her throat and was almost > like a > growl. She first made the sound when her sister said goodbye and > then, > amazingly to me, she made exactly the same sound when her mother said > goodbye to her. It seemed Terri was visibly upset that they were > leaving. She > almost appeared to be trying to cling to them, although this > impression came > only from her changed facial expression and sounds, since her hands > cannot > move. It appeared like she did not want to be alone and knew they > were > leaving. It was definitely apparent in the short time I was there > that her > emotions changed�it was apparent when she was happy and enjoying > herself, when she was amused, when she was resting from her exertion > to > communicate, and when she was sad at her guests leaving. It was > readily > apparent and surprising that her mood changed so often in a short > 45-minute > visit. > > I was pleasantly surprised to observe Terri's purposeful and > varied behaviors > with the various members of her family and with Attorney Gibbs and > myself. I > never imagined Terri would be so active, curious, and purposeful. She > watched people intently, obviously was attempting to communicate with > each > one in various ways and with various facial expressions and sounds. > She was > definitely not in a coma, not even close. This visit certainly shed > more light for > me on why the Schindlers are fighting so hard to protect her, to get > her > medical care and rehabilitative assistance, and to spend all they > have to > protect her life. > > I realize that Terri has good days and bad days. There are obviously > days > when she does not interact with her family, as they had previously > told us. > There are also apparently days when Terri is even more interactive > and > responsive to them than she was on the day I visited. Since this > visit I am > more convinced than ever that the Schindlers are not just parents who > refuse > to let go of their daughter. There really is a lot going on with > their daughter > and potentially, it seemed obvious to me, Terri could improve even > more with > appropriate care and 24 hour a day love that can only come from a > dedicated > family. As I watched her, my foremost thought was that on the next > day, > Christmas, Terri should not have been confined to her small room in a > hospice center, nice as that room was, but that she should have been > gathered around the Christmas dinner table enjoying the holiday with > her > family. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
