Listening to the radio on my way back from church I heard the newscaster say Terri is past the point of recovery even if her feeding tube were to be reinserted. It was also announced she was on morphine to control her pain. Strange, I thought a "brain dead" person was incapable of responding to any stimuli including deep tissue pain. At any rate, Terri's life will soon be over. I pray she finds peace and that her parents and loved ones can go on with their lives with peace, forgiveness and hopefully little bitterness.
Listening and reflecting on this story has been so difficult for me. On one hand I can't imagine having to live like Terri for more than a decade, like the Apostle Paul, I would think that "to die is gain" because my faith assures me of a better place. On the other hand I think of my father who, when only a few years older than I am now, fell into a coma due to a brain infection probably from a mosquito bite. He was comatose and unresponsive for weeks, kept alive with IV drips and a feeding tube. Abnormal brain scans suggested serious brain damage. Yet, he came out of the coma and after weeks of therapy and recovery was able to live a normal and productive life. Years later we consented to a DNR (do not resuscitate) order when we knew there was no hope of a normal life, still he was kept hydrated and comfortable for his remaining days. We went through the same DNR orders as my mother was dying of cancer, insisting she was kept comfortable.
I think of Wrenn's story that is so horrific and so heroic. While I will not infringe on her privacy by retelling any portion I can say I remember when Wrenn first came to Curezone about the same time I did. Her typing/spelling was so bad!; she would apologize about every other post explaining that she was recovering from head injuries. Still she persevered, sharing her struggles and success stories. We have watched her go from almost unreadable posts worded in a childlike manner, to a very articulate, opinionated writer with good spelling and punctuation. While a good word processing program may have helped, I truly believe we have all seen Wrenn's healing grow and continue right here. Yet, I imagine there was a time when her quality of life was brought into question.
It may be too late for Terri Schiavo now, but I hope her case will continue to make people think. First of all, what are your personal wishes? Make a living will and be specific. While I do want a DNR order posted if there is no hope for any quality of life; I also want to be kept hydrated. Simply being given water in a weak saline/sugar solution can reduce suffering. I did not mention a feeding tube, because frankly I am still not sure about that. Also make sure your living will is accessible to a trusted person (I gotta get mine out of the safety deposit box).
Another issue that has been brought to the forefront is who has power over our life (or death)when we cannot make a decision. I cringe at the thought of a dispassionate judge or politician making that decision, or the medical facility deciding that I am not profitable for them.
I am afraid we have opened a Pandora's Box of ethical issues on who decides who should live and who should die. At what point of injury/disability does a person become a hindrance or an inconvenience? What constitutes a natural death? To me pulling the feeding tube was little less than cold blooded murder, deliberate and premeditated. Others see keeping her alive as cruel and unusual punishment. There will be other serious questions and no easy answers. May God give us wisdom, mercy and compassion as we ponder these things.