Schiavo's husband says he'll fight back

[mcar]

http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2003/10/24/Tampabay/Schiavo_s_husband_say.shtml

...reports that Michael Schiavo will benefit from an insurance policy upon his wife's death are false. He said no policy exists.

- Felos and Bushnell said they have not been paid legal fees in more than a year.

- A trust fund that once contained up to $776,000 from a malpractice verdict awarded to Mrs. Schiavo is down to $50,000, said Bushnell, much of it saved to pay costs of the legal fight to come.

- Mrs. Schiavo, 39, collects some Social Security disability benefits and Medicaid, which pay at least some of her medical costs, Bushnell said.

- Hospice care of up to $5,000 per month is covered free of charge through a fund for indigent patients by Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, which operates Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Mrs. Schiavo's home the past three years.

(snip) When doctors moved to reinsert Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube Tuesday, Bushnell said it appears that officials at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, where Mrs. Schiavo was taken, had difficulty finding anyone to do the job. She said they may have been deterred by the threat of litigation.

Mrs. Schiavo's treating physician resigned, apparently refusing the job.


Perhaps this will answer the charges of some posters here who have been willing to assassinate the character of Mrs. Schiavo's husband without looking at the facts.

[radwriter0555]

1. All good answers. But, why won't he divorce her and remand her care to her

family?

This would be a decent solution to the dilemma.

[Vikingking66]

2. I don't know

maybe she told him she didn't want to live a vegetable and he's
honoring her wishes.

[mcar]

3. That's the impression I get from this article

and other things I've read over the years. I believe he feels he needs to do the right thing by his wife. I see no other reason for his actions. As the article states, he doesn't stand to make any money off her death, as others have so vehemently declared. He's rarely, if ever, in the news himself (interviews, etc) so he's not in it for his 15 minutes.

He just seems to want to honor his wife's wishes and have closure.

[CheshireCat]

13. Exactly!

My husband and I have living wills. Neither of us would want to live in a vegatative state.

The thought of politicians using this woman for a political football disgust me.

My sister died from ALS (Lou Gerhig's disease). She suffered terribly for 4 years. There were still actions that could have been taken when she decided she could take no more. No feeding tube - no trac tube - no ventilator. Being dependent on this machines was one of her biggest fears. She was brave until the end, but she KNEW when it was time for it to end. No one should have the right to make her live in such misery.

[0007]

4. Who knows?

This is a circus, to say the least.

This women has had no life for 13 years and it appears that will be the final outcome.

[David__77]

25. Not a good solution at ALL, if...

her desire was not be kept alive through artificial means, and she expressed that to her husband, it is his moral obligation NOT to divorce and turn over guardianship.

[rustydog]

38. Well, try "until death do us part" on for size .

I don't think he would do a Gingrich and leave her in the hospital, would he?
I would guess he is living the Christian wedding vows better than all of the Christian reich put together.

[bleedingheart]

5. This is about a bitterness...its just the ugly side of people coming out

her parents can't come to grips with the fact that their daughter is not going to get better so they are bitter, which is reasonable in a way. However I bet they are even more bitter because he has moved on...you see he didn't play the holy martyr and not move on...he did...which inflames them even more.

Personally I think he should divorce her and let her parents drain their funds to keep her alive...and I tell you that if she has any siblings they won't like that.

When that money is gone the taxpayers of Florida and the US can foot the bill ...

I can honestly say that I have told my husband that I wouldn't want to live in the state she is in currently.

[Bunny]

9. You'd better write it down as well.

Telling your husband may not be good enough. I'd also tell your parents, sibs, etc. (if they are around), so that they won't be tempted to oppose your husband if something tragic should occur.

I'm struggling with this now myself. The Schiavo case has me worried about what would become of me if something happened. I'm single, so there's no husband to consult. My mom is still alive, but she went through agonies last February when my dad had a heart attack and was without oxygen for over ten minutes. They revived him at the hospital, but we knew there was no hope whatsoever of him recovering. Mom had to sign the papers to have the machines unplugged, and even tho' we all knew with absolute certainty that Dad would have NEVER wanted to live that way, it was still hard for Mom to give that final consent. I'm not sure I would want to put her through this with me. It's hard enough to do it for your spouse, I'm sure signing the papers for your child would be even tougher.

I have six sibs, and I'm not sure which one I should ask to be my Power of Attorney for health care. I'm starting to think it would be an awful burden to place on someone.

[bleedingheart]

10. Oh it is all written down, I have a will, guardianship papers and

my living will directive all done...

[CheshireCat]

14. What if?

"Personally I think he should divorce her and let her parents drain their funds to keep her alive..."

Maybe he cares too much about her to do such a thing. If he loves her and was aware of her wishes, then he is brave to fight for her right to leave this earth.

At 51, I have witnessed many such situations. If you love someone who is in such a state, then you want to let them go - if that is their wish.

[bleedingheart]

22. My statement is made out of frustration because I wouldn't want

to be kept alive if I was in this situation.... but apparently her parents are having a lot of trouble realizing that she isn't going to be normal again...this is a power struggle between the parents and the husband and I bet there was bad blood between the two parties to begin with.

[CheshireCat]

27. To bleedingheart

"this is a power struggle between the parents and the husband and I bet there was bad blood between the two parties to begin with."

You could be right about the bad blood, but I have seen similar situations where all parties had been close and friendly. Admittedly, mothers and fathers have a harder time accepting that their child will never be ok and letting go.

For this reason, when making out a living will, it is best not to give control to your parents unless you are certain of their reaction. From my experience, you can never be certain that a parent will let a child that they love die.

[bleedingheart]

28. you are so right about that

"you can never be certain that a parent will let a child that they love die."

A good friend of mine had a daughter who was dying of leukemia. They had done everything to try and save their daughter. They (doctors/hospice people) started giving her higher doses of morphine to help with pain. The father had the hardest time with this saying that she would end up a drug addict he wanted to find another treatment something to save his girl (bone marrow transplants.etc had all failed). The mother had the strength to say that if she lucky enough to survive they would worry about morphine addiction later but that she needed that pain medication to ease her struggle...

Their poor daughter lost that fight three years ago but she was lucky enough to have her mother, father and siblings around her ushering her with love out of this world.

[Lugnut]

39. I have two children

There is no way that I could stand to watch either of them suffer like this young woman has suffered. I don't want to live, if you can call it that, like this young woman has lived for 13 years.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. I think that the real telling of the tale...

Is in the people who have aligned themselves in this sad and ugly affair, especially on the side of the parents. Randall Terry for starters. Randall Terry??!! Jebus, hasn't he been figured out for the wonderful humanitarian he is, with his misuse of funds of Operation Rescue? Haven't the press figured out that most of the time, Randall Terry is about Randall Terry and the issue is ancillary? Didn't he try to use his notariety as a springboard for his political aspirations? Is there any more transparent demagogue for personal gain and notoriety?

What about some of the other players? Can the same be said of them? Who's behind the daily flood of obvious press releases? Who's bankrolling this press machine?

Why has there NOT been an independent and expert full medical assessment by a team of noted expert doctors, complete with new tests, including medical imaging of Mrs. Schiavo's brain, to re-determine the full extent of her brain damage?

And why did the medical report that originally stated that there was evidence of physical abuse not trigger a more complete investigation by authorities?

These are some of the questions that come to my mind. They are also some of the questions that it does not seem that the press, in all its regular glory, does not ask.

More than anything else, it seems that that poor woman is not being treated lie a vegetable. Vegetables get treated better. She is being treated like a political Aussie Rules football.

[bleedingheart]

7. this is a family feud gone public.

[slackmaster]

17. DING DING DING DING!

I think we have a winner.

[shrike]

31. It sounds like the parents are being used

by a lot of people with ulterior motives. From what I've read some so-called experts are blowing smoke up their skirts about "therapy" she can receive. This is unconscionable. This is their daughter and they lost her company in the prime of her life. Of course they're going to grab onto every little bit of hope that's out there.

I agree this is also a family feud. But it also reminds me of the Elian Gonzalez situation. A lot of people who don't give a damn about the individual's involved interfere with a sad situation so as to make political hay.

[bleedingheart]

8. Anyone remember Sonny Von Bulow...still alive in coma for 22 years

however she is wealthy enough to afford the care. However it would be interesting to know what her kids take on her welfare is.... Once Klaus was found not guilty, she slipped from the headlines....

Somehow I doubt Sonny is every going to come out of it....which is sad but true.

[bleedingheart]

11. I am bumping this thread because it dispells a lot of the myths

about Schiavo making a fortune out of this case... apparently he might just want to let her die in peace according to her wishes...

[mcar]

12. Thanks for this

It's the innuendo about the husband that some DUers are taking as gospel truth that's been bothering me. People might disagree on the case itself, but why do we have to demonize one person?

The issue goes beyond living wills and making your wishes known, however. What Jeb and Co. have done is to make even living wills irrelevant if one member of the family objects.

Unless and until the FL Supreme Court overturns this ridiculous, grandstanding law, Jebbie has opened up a big can of worms.

[Bunny]

15. But that's not true.

Terri did NOT have a living will, hence the opposition to her husband by her parents. If she had made a living will in advance, this would not necessarily have happened. AKAIK, Jeb did not make living wills irrelevant with this maneuver.

[mcar]

16. I worked in health care for 9 years

It's already fairly common for medical staff to ignore a living will if members of the family object, for fear of litigation. Jeb's actions with this law open that Pandora's box up even more. A hospital/doctors are not going to honor even a living will if they are afraid of being sued or seeing themselves in a negative television report.

Remember, Michael Schiavo is Terri's legal guardian and power of attorney, as ordered by the courts. That still hasn't stopped her parents from blocking this. If he had her living will, it might add some weight to the issue, but the courts, and the medical community, have been on his side all the way through this and his and her wishes haven't been carried out.

[slackmaster]

18. Your observation agrees with mine

Hospital staff will not pull the plug on someone just because a person claiming to be next of kin flashes what appears to be a DNR order.

[Suspicious]

21. ...and his and her wishes haven't been carried out."

This statement is based on a faulty premise. While it is true that his (Michael Schiavo) wishes have not been carried out, none of us are privy to Terri's wishes. The only information we have regarding her wishes is hearsay from Michael Schiavo.

Terri Schiavo, unfortunately, had no living will. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that patients do, indeed, have the right to refuse treatment, but when a patient is unable to speak or does not leave written instructions, state courts require evidence of a patient's wishes.

If hearsay is considered sufficient evidence of Terri Schiavo's wishes, in this case, then we must also consider the statements of family members and close friends of Terri who have testified that she made statements quite the opposite of those attributed to her by her husband.

[bleedingheart]

23. this is a case of damned if you do...damned if you don't

If he would have left her immediately following her lapse into this state he would have been demonized as a jerk, a pig,... someone who lacked the courage of his convictions regarding his marriage vows....

If he would have stayed married to her and had no life until the day she died...well he woudl be a martyr...and well everyone loves a martyr...

But he did stand by her, he fought to get her bills paid and for a long time he probably hoped she might come out of it. However he eventually "mourned" the loss of the wife he knew and he moved on by getting involved in another relationship and making a different life....he could have just walked away from Terri ...but no...he seems to want to let her go in peace...he wants to give her what she wanted...dignity....for that he is pilloried..

[BiggJawn]

35. What do you expect? "Three legs BAD, two legs GOOD"...

For all our supposed progressivness and right-thinking, a lot of us still think it's open season on Men...

[ProfessorGAC]

30. Yeah. Why Is That So Hard To Believe?

My wife and i have both agreed on no extraordinary measures, especially in the event of severe brain trauma or injury.

It would be incredibly hurtful to me if someone questioned my motives or integrity if i had to fulfill her wishes and remove her from life support were she in that state. It's what we both agreed we would do, and what we both wanted. For someone to suggest that i was anything but an abjectly loyal husband to the end (or vice versa if it were me on the machines) would be unfair and just plain wrong.

Why is this guy's story so hard for some to believe?
The Professor

[Native]

19. Thanks for presenting the facts...

I don't think there exists a greater venue for conjecture & supposition than what is found in many of the threads on DU. Thanks for the breath of fresh air!

[mcar]

20. You're welcome, Native

Thanks for the support :)

[mcar]

24. Wow, I've got a thread with 20+ responses!

Shameless self-promotion kick

[cosmicdot]

26. what was being said in this blog back in November 2002?

Who owns the hospice chain ("The Hospice of The Florida Suncoast") in Florida? would that matter? Who is on the Board of Directors? Would that matter?

Sunday, November 24, 2002

TERRI SCHIAVO TO DIE IN ATTORNEY'S "DEATH FACTORY"? SUNCOAST HOSPICE BOSS WAS GEORGE FELOS... by Becky Snow

Man "finds" Wife unconscious.

Man keeps Wife unconscious.

Man gets malpractice money for Wife.

Man wants Wife's money.

Man wants Wife dead so Man can have money.

Man gets Lawyer.

Lawyer is/was Hospice Board Member.

Lawyer promises Man that Wife will die at the Hospice...

~snip~

Many of the Hospice nurses, volunteers, and doctors who are charged with the care, feeding, and unbiased medical evaluation of Terri Schiavo worked for George J. Felos, a man who has publically proclaimed that Terri must die.

~snip~


It is the opinion of this writer that George Felos' "Hospice of The Florida Suncoast" is not an uninterested third party in this case, as they portray themselves to be. The Board of Directors hired Michael Shiavo's lawyer as their Chairman, then obscured Felos' role while bringing Terri under Hospice's care. "The Hospice of The Florida Suncoast" should come clean and come forward with any additional information they may hold regarding George Felos, Terri Schiavo, or any other hospice patients who may have been "represented" by Felos. The Hospice must also reveal any plans that they and their past Chairman of the Board may have for Terri's award money following her "facilitated" death.

~snip~

Copyright November 24, 2002 - Becki Snow


Disclaimer: This article is the opinion of Becki Snow, and makes no guarantee as to the accuracy or reliability of its sources although the sources have been verified as accurately as possible through public record resources.

http://www.becki-snow.blogspot.com/2002_11_24_becki-snow_archive.html

[bleedingheart]

29. Tell me if I am wrong but aren't most Hospice centers where people

go to die?

Where had she been before this?

Right now the parents are alleging that he abused her...if he won a lawsuit to get money to care for her, I would suspect that the attorney's for the defense would have used that evidence to knock the suit out of court and he would have ended up in prison long ago.

The facts are right now that this woman is in a vegatative state.

[mcar]

33. Who the heck is Becky Snow?

and why should anyone care what she says?

It is my understanding that the Hospice is a non-profit organization; there's not a lot of money to be made in the dying with dignity industry.

Do you honestly believe that numbers of physicians and nurses would willingly go along with illegal or unethical activities for fear of losing their jobs? Can you say "nursing shortage?" These people could get work in a New York minute. They wouldn't have to smother their consciences to keep a job.

And again, there is not much money left so that kills that argument.

[GinaMaria]

37. I don't think

hospices are in the business of ending lives. They do have a philosophy of death with dignity. This just sounds so strange that someone believes the hospice has an interest in seeing this woman die?

[jiacinto]

32. This changes my position somewhat on this issue now

However, without something in writing, I still have concerns about removing the tube. Shoot, flame me; that's how I feel on this issue.

One thing: why would the doctors putting the tube back in be sued? What cause of action would her husband have against them? They were only following the order that was given to them by Bush. What does the Schiavoo attorney expect them to do? Go to jail or be arrested for disobeying the law?

[Nikia]

34. I've decided we probably don't know what is going on

I've heard so much conflicting information by both parties as to motives, Terri's condition, and what Terri would have wanted. We must also remember that motives can change and eventually be based on people refusing to be wrong, lose, or give up. Perhaps, Terri's husband has been fighting this case for a long time. There was money when we first began his fight. Even if there is much less or none, that might not matter now. Terri's parents believe that their daughter can be helped and perhaps could have been helped somewhat if she had received therapy earlier on. If she continues to deteriorate that might not matter now either. People seem to think that people really aren't like that, but experience has told me that such stuborn people who will not be wrong at all costs once they've started something are not rare at all.
Regardless, I think that we don't know what Terri wanted that being severely disabled should not be a reason for ending someone's life. I do not consider a feeding tube life support. It is simply feeding someone who has trouble feeding themselves. It is relatively simple and costs little to maintain. Her parents should take her home and work with a therapist if they think that it will help her develop some skills.

[Bunny]

36. I agree with your post in its entirety, except the last sentence.

Michael Schiavo will not allow the parents to take Terri home.