Terri Schiavo blatantly responsive

[bfp]

I posted this Saturday, but does this sound like a woman that's brain dead? By reading this, doesn't it sound like she's aware of her environment? She can obviously speak, she can feel pain, etc. Read the whole thing. I'm sorry, but by reading this again, it makes me sick to think that we could starve someone so aware of reality.




STATE OF FLORIDA )

COUNTY OF PINELLAS )

BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA

SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make

this statement of my own personal knowledge.

2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed

continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a

Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.

3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in

Largo, Florida from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo

was a patient there.

4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri

Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for

any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial

training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael

Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated." This struck me as

extremely odd.

-1-

5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance

whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere

throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation.

Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be

close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always

had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as

"This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and

uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you,

getting right in your face and practically shouting.

6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for

Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to

believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens

while I was there. I became concerned because Michael wanted

nothing done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of

motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and

again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no

range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named

Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a

wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together,

-2-

and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and

misrepresented by Michael. When I worked with her, she was alert

and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence,

saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in

fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds

of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in

discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n"

sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort

by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal

area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included

pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or

moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a

bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper

and scooted in bed on her bottom.

8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always

recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way

toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a

"hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound

-3-

being only a second or two long. When I told her humrous stories

about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle,

sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body,

upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need

to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in

her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but

by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart.

Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's,

someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always

demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in

her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well,

writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would

always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote

so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive

entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job

was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a

patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act,

and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.

9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused

-4-

on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?,"

"Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?" These

statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would

make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was

talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I

recall him making include "Can't anything be done to accelerate her

death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would

be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be

given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure

the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word

for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the

end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be

contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that

said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael

immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they

should know about their daughter.

10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her

lungs, colds, or pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled

even, hoping that she would die. He would say something like,

-5-

"Hallelujah! You've made my day!" He would call me, as I was the

nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her

temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently

asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!"

and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died,

which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among

other things.

11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the

door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically

be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be

trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold

sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction,

so I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low

it was below the range where it would register an actual number

reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This

happened about five times on my shift, as I recall. Normally Terri's

blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet

through tube feeding. It is medically possible that Michael injected

Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting, but I don't have

-6-

any way of knowing for sure.

12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I

became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the

reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named

Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular

concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift,

but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as

"They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact

that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments

about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it

was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he

complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the

time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth

more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to

this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were

cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat."

13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated

by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would

do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at

-7-

night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these

phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would

tell me afterward and relay orders from him.

14. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by

and let Terri die without the truth being known.

[Hubb]

wow thats pretty jacked up.....
I really am on the fence witht his one....I say let her Family take care of her....thats what family is for.

[bfp]

I guess this information doesn't sit well with you guys who'd wish to see Terri die?

[Hubb]

Being objective i will say this...If a person is brain dead and they are just being taken care of...as in Terri's case (all grey - no cerebel cortex) then i think the financial burden should rest with the family if they choose to keep said "shell" alive. I dont beleive that the financial burden should fall to the tax payers. Not trying to sound cold but its expensive as hell to keep someone alive who doesnt even really understand that they are alive? I wonder if euthanasia (sp) will come to light in this debate?

[bfp]

Originally Posted by Hubb

Being objective i will say this...If a person is brain dead and they are just being taken care of...as in Terri's case (all grey - no cerebel cortex) then i think the financial burden should rest with the family if they choose to keep said "shell" alive. I dont beleive that the financial burden should fall to the tax payers. Not trying to sound cold but its expensive as hell to keep someone alive who doesnt even really understand that they are alive? I wonder if euthanasia (sp) will come to light in this debate?

The parents have been trying to take care of her, but Michael will not let them take over. Something is up with this guy. Doctors that do personality mapping have compared Michael to Scott Peterson and O.J. Simpson.

[Hubb]

Yea i caught that fool on cnn i think it was and he was really creeping me out.....

Originally Posted by Hubb

Being objective i will say this...If a person is brain dead and they are just being taken care of...as in Terri's case (all grey - no cerebel cortex) then i think the financial burden should rest with the family if they choose to keep said "shell" alive. I dont beleive that the financial burden should fall to the tax payers. Not trying to sound cold but its expensive as hell to keep someone alive who doesnt even really understand that they are alive? I wonder if euthanasia (sp) will come to light in this debate?

euthanasia will come in right now...

you've just advocated killing the helpless* because its expensive to keep them alive...


*people with Alzheimer's - do they qualify? How about people in a coma (many have come out after years asleep)? Who decides? What qualifies? Any review?

[Hubb]

Im not advocating killing the helpless...I am advocating that if someone is already grey matter, i dont think i should have to pay to keep them alive. Its her familys responsibility to keep her alive and pay for her constant care. Now granted in other situations such as coma or semi vegtable people then of course i would have a different opinon because those peole can return and be a FUNCTIOING part of society. I guess your okay with paying for 30 years of diapers for people like this? Im not trying to be inhuman but she has no clue ass to what is going on...none.

Originally Posted by Hubb

I guess your okay with paying for 30 years of diapers for people like this?

yeah - I'm okay with that

[Hubb]

it is a touchy subject for sure

[Ash]

Just for the record, I want DDM to know this. If I , Ash Frnka, were in a persistant vegetative state(at this rate should happen some time next summer) please dont put up a fight for me. Let me die with some dignity.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Ash

Just for the record, I want DDM to know this. If I , Ash Frnka, were in a persistant vegetative state(at this rate should happen some time next summer) please dont put up a fight for me. Let me die with some dignity.

Noone wants to live like that. Even bfp himself said he wouldn't. But they can make a political statement by forcing her to keep going like that for the next 20 years or more. Which side is inhumane?

[Hubb]

Let me die with some dignity.

Seconded...and this is a personal matter...not the federal governments.
If i would have had someone telling me we couldnt pull the plug on my father at the end of his cancer....i would have been livid...he was suffering and it was only a matter of time ......no one claims these are easy desicions....but they are decisions that we have to make for the people we love sometimes....not the government

[tricky]

Originally Posted by Ryan

Noone wants to live like that. Even bfp himself said he wouldn't. But they can make a political statement by forcing her to keep going like that for the next 20 years or more. Which side is inhumane?

bahahahahahaaha, f'ing greathness.

I do not want to suffer your fate, but i will damn sure you have to live like that.

[Gomer]

Originally Posted by bfp

The parents have been trying to take care of her, but Michael will not let them take over. Something is up with this guy. Doctors that do personality mapping have compared Michael to Scott Peterson and O.J. Simpson.

You do realize that it's not an issue of one letting the other "take over" right? The families took this matter to court to let them decide. They've decided repeatedly. Neither side can just let the other "take over" now. It's too late.

OJ Simpson, Scott Peterson? Please. This fool didn't brutally murder his wife. I can't believe you'd even compare the three.