Hi Queenie
I miss seeing you around - I hope all your troubles have eased some. Just to let you know, you have been in my thoughts and prayers!!!!
I think I've said everything about Terri that I could - those who agree say Amen and those who do not think I am an idiot. I honestly play to no audience, and surely show no favor to like thinkers.
Just a side thought, anyone in this forum who has been here since it's foruming 13+ months ago surely has ead that I feel we all have the right of expression of opinion - I have created such forums to allow that WITHOUT cluttering up the beekeeping areas.
I express my opinion and allow all others, just as a free speech believer like me must do! Sometimes though, I feel the need to bite my tongue because the arguement (or better said - the rebuttal) is down right foolish. But we all have core beliefs WHICH dictate how we see the world and interact with it. So all opinions are allowed and NO ONE is allowed to be critisized personally for their opinions. I work hard here (although it doesn't seem like Beemaster actually does anything but work at the danged Navy base of his - lol) to make sure we all treat each other with respect.That all said, I agree with you 100% Terri had NO RESPECT or REPRESENTATION or AVOCATE at the end. The law that passed power of attorny over to the spouce upon marriage was her death sentence. Her own blood family (the only people who cared for her in my opinion) indeed was kept out of the loop of critical decision making.
For years I have been my mothers Patient Advocate - the person who deals with ALL MATTERS of legal and medical neccessities when she can not make a sound judgement because of health imparements (post surgury, etc,.) I am the one who has to battle with the nurses, doctors, administrator and if need be court - and I will do so with muster!
Dealing with the hospital enviroment, nursing home and rehab facilities for many years, first with my brother and father (both who have passed) and now at a nearly chronic state with my ailling mother, I know that
The only thing that keeps a patient alive is a family advocate it is not the nurses, the dotors or anyone higher up.
It is the family member who sees a food tray come and go untouched, or sits there when the medication cart rolls by and the meds that should be delivered are not. It is the family member who SCREAMS THE LOUDEST who keeps their loved one alive.
Sad fact, but the person left alone in a hospice, hospital, rehab, etc., will eventually die because understaffed facilities, drug addicted help, under-paid people who have the "Crappy end of the diaper" take their vengence out on the patient - sometimes subtly, often obvious.
Everyone needs an advocate, one who understands both the conditions and wishes of the patient. If Michael Schiavo didn't want anything to do with Terri, then he legally could have passed her on to her blood family, washing his hands (which he did anyway) of Terri and go about his life (which again he did anyway).
I will never believe that allowing her parents to take her home, to be loved and cared for, for the rest of her life was a bad thing. The bad thing was to treat her with an unimaginable and vulgar death sentence - the law makers of this country can BITE ME if they don't like this, but they were wrong at ALL LEVELS of Government. She was treated LESS HUMANELY than a Blender full of Matagascar Cockroaches on Fear Factor - at least they were chopped up and put out of her misery.
Not even the location of the ASHES of TERRI will be shared with the family, I now here. Michael Schiavo, you are some piece of crap - I can only wish that Satan himself has an especially hot corner of Hell waiting for you.
This issue is tough on me - seeing my brother go 2 weeks on life support and just burying my father-in-law who spent 2 one week periods also on ventilators. But all Terri needed was food and water tubed to her stomach. The tube was already there and had been for a long time. She had people who wanted to care for her and WHETHER THERE WAS CONSCIENCE FUNCTION or not, she was loved and had a place to go.
I don't have love loss for people who commit attrocities on mankind - but I could not even wish this punnishment on them. We the people may be civilized, but our elected and appointed government and laws concerning humane death NEED TO CHANGE.
Euthanasia needs to be allowed in our society. People of sound mind who wish to end a painful and terminal life should have the right to do so. If there is no hope and you can no longer sit back and watch your family drag themselves out to see you every day at a hospital, while you just get worse and worse with no hope of survival - why should the last memories of your family be of you wasted away to nothing with the scars of terminal illness - when a simple goodbye, an understanding that you want to go in peace and wish that they NOT have to wear them selves down to nothing mentally and physically JUST to support you as sickness takes its long and slow road to taking you to the next rhelm.
If it were my mother's wish to gracefully leave this world with dignity, in a quiet, painless manor - I would fully understand. She has a list of medical problems and degree of constant pain that would stagger most people. To me, she is the bravest of souls and I know it is her love for me that keeps her here and here fear that expediting her own death may prevent her from rejoining with my father and brother in Heaven.
It is sad when the only option someone has is to 1) suffer a slow death or 2) chance not seeing the Heaven they so hope is awaiting them.
I hope that in my life time I see some compassionate relief law passed allowing the terminal to gracefully pass on to a better, painless place. I think as a species, human will greatly evolve when this is allowed.
BUT PEOPLE.... Get those LIVING WILLS in order, get yourself a PATIENT ADVOCATE and when in the hospital, when you need something (anything) RING THAT NURSE BUTTON as if you know EVERY ANSWER on JERPARDY or you will die alone, sad and in pain. And the only thing your family will hear is "Your loved one passed quietly in the night - they felt no pain" and I'm not stretching the truth, hospitals are no different than any other business - they are staffed with the CHEAPEST HELP that the administration can afford to pay.
Yes Queen.... who was her Advocate? surely those who wanted to be were not allowed and Terri Schiavo is a perfect example of what could happen if you are not represented by someone who can speak for you when you can not speak for yourself.
PM Me... let me know how things are going
