The Silent Witness

6 Pages 1489 Words

The case of Theresa Shiavo gained national attention because it was an extremely controversial subject. Following a collapse in February 1990 of heart failure, when she was only 26 years old, Terri had been in a coma for three months. When she regained consciousness she was in the generally unresponsive state in which she would remain for 15 years. She remained on a feeding tube to keep her alive. Her husband, Michael Shiavo, stated that it was not Terri’s wish to be kept alive in this way and that she should be taken off the feeding tube and allowed to die. Her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, did not agree and petitioned the court to allow their daughter to continue on the life-support. This sparked major press coverage and the attention of Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, Congress and the White House. Over the years, more than 40 judges have been involved with this case.
On the morning of February 25, 1990, Theresa Shiavo collapsed in the hallway of her home in St. Petersburg, Florida of what appeared to be heart failure. It is not known what caused the heart failure; however, it was well known that Terri had been concerned about her weight, and had been on a NutraSystems diet in the past. Doctors who examined her after she collapsed presumed that she had the eating disorder bulimia, and because of this she had a potassium deficiency which caused her heart failure. This has never been proven. The cause of her collapse remains a mystery.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, Terri was in full cardiac arrest. After seven attempts to defibrillate, or electrically shock the heart into beating normally, a rhythm was restored. Terri’s brain had gone without oxygen for over an hour. She did receive irreversible brain damage. The biggest question that still remains is, “Was Terri in a ‘permanent vegetative state?’”
Some doctors have referred to Terri’s condition as “locked-in syndrome, which was not the case. Complete “l...