Sharp Concepts PR - Terri Schiavo Foundation

Press Releases

Wayne Galley, Australian singer-songwriter and activist for Terri Schiavo has written an entire of poignant songs for Terri on the CD simply entitled, "LIFE"

All proceeds go to the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation.

To hear the song "I Have a Right to Live" or to purchase the CD "LIFE," visit terrisfight.org

Mel Gibson
Actor and director Mel Gibson, known for his role in the movie “Braveheart” and his recent international success “The Passion of the Christ,” said:

“I fully support the efforts of Mr. & Mrs. Schindler to save their daughter, Terri Schiavo, from a cruel starvation. Terri’s husband should sign the care of his wife over to her parents so she can be properly cared for.”

Patricia Heaton
Actress Patricia Heaton, star of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life, said she is outraged:

"We must not let Terri Schiavo be starved to death. This deliberate and painful destruction of a woman’s life cannot be justified or tolerated. Terri deserves better. Removal of a feeding tube will result in a slow starvation that is cruel and painful. She is not in a comatose state and she is not suffering from terminal disease. Terri may no longer be perfect or complete but she has a fundamental right to life. Her feeding tube must be re-inserted.”

Randy Travis
Country music star Randy Travis made an appeal on Terri’s behalf, saying:

“I would like to lend my support to the Schindlers in their efforts to save their daughter. All life has value. I’m praying Terri’s feeding tube will be reinserted. I feel this decision was wrong, deciding the fate of an innocent person’s life by starvation. May God lead the powers that be to reverse this decision and give Terri her life back.”

Pat Boone
Recording artist Pat Boone spoke from personal experience. Three and a half years ago, Boone’s grandson Ryan Corbin fell 40 feet through a skylight to a concrete floor below. The fall resulted in the need for multiple surgeries, including the removal of Ryan’s spleen, and left him in a deep coma, on maximum ventilator support, and unresponsive to outside stimulation. Boone said:

“I pray that Terri Schiavo is saved from this horrific death by starvation and dehydration, and afforded the opportunity to live and receive rehabilitative therapy, “ Boone said. “Ryan was in a coma for six months, but through lots of prayer and loving attention, all kinds of therapy and support, and with his own indomitable ‘can do’ spirit, he’s steadily recovering to what we believe will be complete normalcy.”

Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris, the action film and television star known for his long-running CBS television series, "Walker, Texas Ranger" and for being a six-time undefeated World Professional Middle Weight Karate Champion, together with his wife Gena Norris issued a statement saying:

“We are deeply grieved at what is happening to Terri. We as the people are suppose to protect those that are weaker, not dispose of them because of it. We are wondering why Terri's husband feels he should have any right to make decisions on her behalf, due to the fact that he basically abandoned her for another woman and new life. Are not the wedding vows we make meant to be a promise and not to be broken, even in times of sickness? If Terri's husband has chosen to start a new life then so be it, but at that moment he no longer should have a say regarding her well being. She has a loving family that will take care of and look after her. His rights should be null and void. We believe that Terri has a right to life and no one other than God should have a right to decide when to end it.”

Jennifer O'Neill
Actress Jennifer O'Neill, known for the role of "Dorothy" in the movie Summer of '42 and for being a model and spokesperson for Cover Girl, said:

“The taking of Terry Schiavo’s life should be considered unconscionable to rational thinking people. This is a human being with every right to continue life as any person on this planet. I strongly urge the re-insertion of her feeding tube to allow her to live out her life with some respect and dignity, not to be starved to death in front of the entire world's eyes by 21st century America.”

Lindy Boone Michaelis
Pat Boone’s daughter Lindy Michaelis, mother of Ryan Corbin and sister to Debby Boone, popular music artist known for her '70s hit "You Light Up My Life," concurred, saying:

“I am extremely supportive of the Schindlers, who simply want to keep their daughter fed, alive and love her. I believe that although Ryan may have said prior to the accident that if something like this ever happened to him he would rather go ahead and die, if you ask him today, he loves life, and is glad we didn't let him be unplugged when we were offered the option. I see a love between Terri and her parents and where there is love, there is purpose. Her life serves a purpose. I hope the public raises an outcry that shames Michael Schiavo and his attorney for what they are willing to do, and that her feeding tube is reinserted.”

What was Michael and Terri's relationship like?
Terri was going to leave Michael the next day. Her girlfriend testified that she was afraid of him. Girlfriend had told Terri she could come over if she was too afraid. Terri never had the chance.

Did Terri collapse from an eating disorder?
The "eating disorder" / "chemical imbalance" story has only surfaced since 2003 in Michael's deposition on November 19th of that year. It's relatively new and unsubstantiated. Her heart did stop, but not from a heart attack in the sense that the heart had a problem. In Michael Shiavo's deposition, under guidance from lawyers reading from her medical history, he confirms Terri went from about 140lbs to 120lbs. Terri is 5'4"-- that is not an unhealthy weight for her height by any means!

What did Michael Schiavo do after Terri collapsed?
After the "accident," Michael called Terri's brother Bobby who lived in the same apartment complex. He then called Terri's father (who said, "Call 911!!") and then called his lawyer. He did not call 911 first.

What was Terri's condition?
According to the police reports, when the paramedics got there, Terri was face-planted in the carpet. Michael did not turn her over as he testified. If he'd only turned her over and tried CPR, perhaps she'd have gotten enough oxygen to be less brain damaged/impaired.

When the paramedics got there, she had bruises all over her body, her femur (leg) was broken, and she had neck injury (people have testified he had a habit of grabbing people by the neck-- he's 6'6"-- a big guy). Her injuries were consistent with a beating and strangulation.

Medical malpractice suit money
Fifteen years ago Terri’s husband Michael testified in the medical malpractice suit he filed: “I believe in the vows I took with my wife: through sickness and health, for richer or poor. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m going to do that.”

However, after being awarded $800,000 for Terri’s rehabilitation and lifetime care and $640,000 for his loss (nearly $1.5 million), Michael had a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order placed on his wife’s chart and repeatedly denied her for any rehabilitative care or treatment for infections. He only "remembered" she "didn't want to live this way" AFTER receiving the money.

Michael Schiavo has not filed the annual care plan required by the malpractice suit to receive the monies for rehabilitative care.

Did Terri want to live "this way" or not?
Terri alledgedly (hearsay by Michael Schiavo) that Terri "didn't want to live this way" in an alleged conversation about his grandmother who was dying of terminal cancer and on a ventilator. Terri is not in THAT situation. She is perfectly healthy, and not on a respirator. A feeding tube is NOT a machine, and requires no electricity. It simply pushes food and water directly into the stomach, as a spoon or a straw puts food into our mouth.

Terri collapsed in the early '90s, when "artificial medical treatment" included things like ventilators, etc. It did NOT include food and water. Later that decade, Florida passed a law defining nutrition and hydration as "medical treatment." It is unlikely that Terri, a Roman Catholic, would have considered food and water "medical treatment," since the Vatican came out very clearly stating that to deprive one's self of food and water was suicide and therefore a sin.

Logically, food and water cannot be "medical treatment" because edical treatment must logically treat something... a pathology, a disease. Hunger and thirst is not a disease to be treated. Food and water is about as natural as you get, not artificial life suport or medical treatment.

Has Terri ever spoken?
CARLA SAUER-IYER, RN: "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." (Excerpted from Carla Sauer-Iyer, RN's sworn affidavit, the cared for Terri in 1995-1996)

Why isn't there documentation or evidence of Terri's responsiveness?
First of all, Judge Greer will not allow ANY cameras or videocameras into Terri's room.

Secondly, CARLA SAUER-IYER, RN said, "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." (Excerpted from Carla Sauer-Iyer, RN's sworn affidavit, the cared for Terri in 1995-1996)

Did Michael want Terri to get better?
CARLA SAUER-IYER, RN: "Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI [urinary tract infection] or fluid buildup in her lungs, colds, pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die. He would call me, as I was the nurse supervisor on the floor, and 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." (Excerpted from Carla Sauer-Iyer, RN's sworn affidavit, the cared for Terri in 1995-1996)

When Michael Would Visit Terri
CARLA SAUER-IYER, RN: "When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked. He’d be in there twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. I thought it was a hypoglycemic reaction, so I'd check her blood sugar. The reading was below the range where it would register. So I’d put dextrose in Terri’s mouth to counteract it. This happened about 5 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. I believe Michael injected Terri with insulin, which is very fast acting." (Excerpted from Carla Sauer-Iyer, RN's sworn affidavit, the cared for Terri in 1995-1996)

Did Terri get rehabilitative therapy?
CARLA SAUER-IYER, RN: I became concerned because nothing was being done --- 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. A C.N.A. named Roxy and I would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a washcloth in Terri’s hand to keep her fingers from curling together, and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

About Judge Greer
Judge Greer, in a related case, ruled that the Pope should be removed from life support because people in a vegetative state--even when such vegetables can 'laugh', 'pray', and 'bless the masses'--serve no useful social function. Not surprisingly, therefore, Judge Greera allowed Michael Schiavo to use the money -- specifically awarded for Terri's rehabilitation and care-- toward his court costs to kill his wife. She served no useful function according to him.

About the Neurologist Whose Opinion Greer is Taking
The neurologist whose opinion was taken as fact that Terri is in a "persistent vegetative state" is notoriously pro-death. He was asked on Fox the other night, "Is it true that you wrote in a paper that people in vegetative states should have no constitutional rights?" He said yes. He was asked, "Is it true you wrote that people in advanced stages of Alzheimers should be "put down" (my words- I can't recall the exact phrase)? He said yes. This is the doctor whose opinion we're taking.

Is Terri in a Persistent Vegetative State?
In a New York Times article, the chief of the medical ethics division of New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, mentioned research that shows there is a 30% misdiagnosis rate of PVS, indicating that nearly a third of persons diagnosed in PVS are actually in “Minimally Conscious State.”

Accordingly, 33 doctors, neurologists and other medical experts filed affidavits that said Terri should be re-tested based on new evaluation that can distinguish between "Persistent Vegetative State" (PVS) and a "Minimally Conscious State" (MCS), which is determined by levels of brain activity. Judge Greer denied all 33 affadavits.

Religious Freedom Denied
Terri has repeatedly been denied to take communion, her Catholic right according to freedom of religion. Michael has denied Last Rites.

Another nurse speaks out and is fired
A nurse named Nora Wagner just came forward this past week from Woodside Hopsice, saying she is appalled at what they're doing to Terri. She said Terri laughs when she (Nora) has told her jokes (as her family has said for years). When Nora came forward on Monday, March 21, 2005, she was told by the agency that she works for that Woodside Hospice did not want her back at the facility. She has been there for 2 years as an agency nurse. She disagreed with the staff on Sunday with what they were doing, and at 3:30pm she received a call from her agency saying they didn't want her back.

How Michael treats Terri's possessions
After Terri's collapse, Michael euthanized Terri's two cats.

In November 19, 1993 deposition with Michael Schiavo, he was asked what he did with his wife's jewelry. He replied, "Um, I think I took her engagement ring and her...what do they call it...diamond wedding band and made a ring for myself."

About George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney
Felos is a member of the Hemlock Society, which is a pro-euthanasia organization. He is also a member of the board of Woodside Hospice, where Terri resides. There are serious conflicts of interest. In Felos's book, he speaks of where he dreams of "bludgeoning his wife" to death. He said Terri looked "peaceful" and "beautiful" when she was being starved and dehydrated to death, but the Catholic priest who was a spiritual advisor to Terri's family said on FOX TV that "If people could see what was happening to Terri right now, they would be horrified." He said Terri's eyes were oscillating back and forth, she was panting like a dog, and her face was drawn. There's nothing beautiful or peaceful about this scene unless you worship death.

Commentary
Terri is not dying, so this is NOT a "right to die" case. Terri is a healthy, 138 lb. woman on no life support. The people who fade off without nutrition and hydration in 7-10 days are terminal patients -- either cancer or severe trauma and organ failure, etc. Terri is healthy, not dying, not terminal... it will be a long and torturous death if she is not PVS.

This is a travesty. I wonder how many people remember that the handicapped and brain damaged were allowed to be euthanized in Nazi Germany before they moved on to the Jews?

Human life has become cheapened in this contemporary postmodern throw-away culture. We watch the genocide in the Sudan, boated bellies of children in Africa, suicidal human bombers in the Middle East, and all the while 40 million children have been slaughtered in utero since 1973. What have we done about that as people of faith? Shamefully little. Why do we expect people to care about a single solitary life, then? It's tragic.

It shouldn't surprise us, as Peggy Noonan wrote today, that, "When a society comes to believe that human life is not inherently worth living, it is a slippery slope to the gas chamber. You wind up on a low road that twists past Columbine and leads toward Auschwitz. Today that road runs through Pinellas Park, Fla."

Celebrity Quotations

FAQ about Terri Schiavo
[Based on police reports, medical reports, sworn affidavits, etc.]

What do Terri's Nurses Say?
Read these sworn affidavits by nurses who took care of Terri, with shocking statements about Michael Schiavo and insight into Terri's true level of high responsiveness.

Carla Sauer-Iyer, RN - Sworn Affidavit (PDF)
Heidi Law, RN - Sworn Affidavit (PDF)