An organization purposed to save the lives of people in nursing homes or hospitals where doctors or families want to pull the plug says some people are condemned to die when they really just need a chance to live.
Terri's Life and Hope Network was formed after the death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, a Florida woman who suffered brain damage after a heart attack. After a lengthy court battle, food and hydration tubes were removed by court order, and she died in March 2005. (See earlier story)
Last week in Frederick, Maryland, 55-year-old Daniel Sanger's wife and doctors agreed to remove his feeding tubes. He has been in Frederick Memorial Hospital since suffering a heart attack and seizure in July. But six days later, Sanger's mother and brother obtained a court order to restore food and hydration. Now he is responsive.
"What people don't realize is that this happens all the time," laments Bobby Schindler, brother of Terri Schiavo. "Doctors and healthcare professionals are now empowered to take away food and hydration from individuals because food and water via feeding tubes has been defined as medical treatment -- and therefore it makes it rather easy, so to speak, to take this away from people, as we saw here in this case."
But he stresses that food and water do not classify as a medical treatment; instead they are necessary to sustain life. In Sanger's case, the patient's brother is hoping to be granted temporary custody to ensure the protection of his brother's life. But Schindler understands that most people are often confused about how to handle such situations, so he directs them to the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
