[politics] The last Terri Schiavo entry?
Mar. 31st, 2005 12:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
holzman_tweedTerri Schiavo's body has died. Terri herself, of course, has been long gone, because spinal fluid and scar tissue don't make such a good medium for thinking.
Now that this is over, let's review the bidding, as summarized in this timeline.
Terri Schiavo was a bulimic. Bulimia is an unhealthy state for a number of reasons, one of them being that it leads to things like nutritional imbalances. Nutritional imbalances lead to things ranging from scurvy to heart attacks.
In 1990, Terri had a heart attack, and lost oxygen to her brain for ten minutes. You may recall that brain damage begins at 4 minutes of oxygen deprivation.
Michael Schivao was appointed her guardian because he's her husband. Buzz, click, whirr.
When Terri gets out of the hospital, her family takes her home but after 3 weeks returns her to a rehab facility because they can't cope with the requirements of caring for someone in Terri's state. In the meantime, Michael is having doctors try everything they can do, including experimantal treatments to try to heal her. Keep note that this is happenning in 1990, the timing is important.
In 1992, money enters the picture -- a malpractise suite against the doctors who somehow managed not to notice that Terri Schiavo had far too little potassium in her system scored over a million dollars. Now look back to the previous paragraph. Michael Schiavo was having treatments done before there was any settlement money. Experimental treatments are not covered by insurance, therefore he was paying for that out of his own pocket.
3 months later, the Schindlers and Schiavo have a falling out over how to proceed with Terri's treatment. Michael says the Schindlers started asking about sharing the settlement money at this time. A few months after that, the Schindlers sue to have Michael Schiavo removed as Terri Schiavo's guardian. Keep a note of this timing as well, it's important, too.
Once doctors advised him that Terri Schiavo would not recover, Michael Schivao petitioned the court to allow him to remove Terri's feeding tube in May of 1998, five years after the Schindlers had first sued to have him removed as the guardian. I highlight this because this timing is inconsistent with a theory that the Schindlers sued Schiavo in order to prevent Terri's feeding tube from being removed..
In the intervening time, the settlement money has gone to pay medical and legal bills, there's only about $50,000 left. After that money was spent, Michael Schiavo turned down a $10,000,000 offer for his legal right to direct Terri's medical treatment. This refutes any theory that Michael Schiavo was motivated by seeking access to the dwindled court settlements.
Now that this is over, let's review the bidding, as summarized in this timeline.
Terri Schiavo was a bulimic. Bulimia is an unhealthy state for a number of reasons, one of them being that it leads to things like nutritional imbalances. Nutritional imbalances lead to things ranging from scurvy to heart attacks.
In 1990, Terri had a heart attack, and lost oxygen to her brain for ten minutes. You may recall that brain damage begins at 4 minutes of oxygen deprivation.
Michael Schivao was appointed her guardian because he's her husband. Buzz, click, whirr.
When Terri gets out of the hospital, her family takes her home but after 3 weeks returns her to a rehab facility because they can't cope with the requirements of caring for someone in Terri's state. In the meantime, Michael is having doctors try everything they can do, including experimantal treatments to try to heal her. Keep note that this is happenning in 1990, the timing is important.
In 1992, money enters the picture -- a malpractise suite against the doctors who somehow managed not to notice that Terri Schiavo had far too little potassium in her system scored over a million dollars. Now look back to the previous paragraph. Michael Schiavo was having treatments done before there was any settlement money. Experimental treatments are not covered by insurance, therefore he was paying for that out of his own pocket.
3 months later, the Schindlers and Schiavo have a falling out over how to proceed with Terri's treatment. Michael says the Schindlers started asking about sharing the settlement money at this time. A few months after that, the Schindlers sue to have Michael Schiavo removed as Terri Schiavo's guardian. Keep a note of this timing as well, it's important, too.
Once doctors advised him that Terri Schiavo would not recover, Michael Schivao petitioned the court to allow him to remove Terri's feeding tube in May of 1998, five years after the Schindlers had first sued to have him removed as the guardian. I highlight this because this timing is inconsistent with a theory that the Schindlers sued Schiavo in order to prevent Terri's feeding tube from being removed..
In the intervening time, the settlement money has gone to pay medical and legal bills, there's only about $50,000 left. After that money was spent, Michael Schiavo turned down a $10,000,000 offer for his legal right to direct Terri's medical treatment. This refutes any theory that Michael Schiavo was motivated by seeking access to the dwindled court settlements.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-31 06:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-31 10:27 pm (UTC)Oh, I'm sure it's (unfortunately) not over by a long shot. Now they are fighting over cremation vs. burial.
I just can't stand it. :(
Oh, for crying out loud.
Date: 2005-04-01 12:17 am (UTC)