Thursday, March 31, 2005

Time line: “through sickness and health.”



1984: Michael Schiavo marries Terri Schindler after being engaged just five months.
1990: Terri Schiavo collapses in her home due to a suspected heart attack, and as a result her brain is deprived of oxygen, leaving her with brain damage.
1992: Michael Schiavo informs a medical malpractice jury, from which he was seeking 20 million dollars, that he would care for his wife for the rest of his life, that she would live a normal life span of at least 50 years, and that he would provide her with rehabilitation and therapy during that time. "She's my life, and I wouldn't trade her for the world… I believe in the vows that I took with my wife. Through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer… 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."
1992: Michael Schiavo wins more than $1 million in a malpractice suit. Subsequently Michael Schiavo stops all therapy, despite medical records indicating his wife is responsive; and denies all food/water given by mouth to his wife, he has nurses who feed Terri by spoon and by bottle fired.
1993: Michael Schiavo prevents any further swallowing tests and swallowing therapy and further tries to deny treatment of an infection his wife has (the nursing home where she was at the time overruled him and treated the infection. Schiavo later told a judge under oath that he thought the infection would develop to sepsis and would be fatal); in response Michael Schiavo has a Do Not Resuscitate Order put on his wife; He refuses to release medical information to her parents (despite a court order requiring him to do so); In a deposition Michael Schiavo was forced to admit that he had already been involved in two lengthy relationships since his wife’s collapse (Trudy Capone and Cindy Shook).
1995: Michael Schiavo moves in with another woman he has been having an affair with, Jodie Centonze; Consigned Terri to a hospice (which she was legally not supposed to be in); Ordered the hospice workers not to clean Terri's teeth anymore; forbids pictures and video footage taken of Terri; Michael Schiavo says repeatedly to Carla Sauer Iyer, a nurse at the hospice, "When is she going to die?," "Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?"
• Michael Schiavo repeatedly tells Trudy Capone (a nurse who cared for Terri and dated Michael) that he and his wife had never discussed what to do if she was incapacitated. Capone says Michael was always asking her, "What should I do?" She described Schiavo as obsessive and claimed he stalked her after their breakup, as did Cindy Shook.
1998: Michael Schiavo suddenly "remembers" that his wife had made some remarks regarding her Grandmother who was being kept alive at thae time on a respirator, saying that she casually remarked "If I ever have to be a burden to anybody, I don't want to live like that." Michael Schiavo then hires sensational right to die advocate/lawyer George Felos, who has a court determine that Michael's sudden memory was clear evidence of Terri’s wish to die; prior to filing his May 1998 petition to disconnect his wife's feeding tube, Michael Schiavo got engaged to Jodie Centonze (He has since had 2 children out of wedlock with Centonze, whom he calls his fiancé).
2000: Michael Schiavo places Terri in a private hospice (where he has greater control over her care), despite the fact she is not terminally ill; Michael Schiavo controls his wife’s visitors list, first requiring they have his approval and then removing visitors at “his discretion” including Terri’s parents; Michael Schiavo refuses to fix Terri’s wheel chair (which she has used since 1994 to go places like the museum and the hair salon) and decides from now on she will not leave her room at the hospice; Michael Schiavo files again to have his wives feeding tube removed.
2001: Terri's feeding tube was disconnected and reconnected based on evidence given by Cindy Shook in which she stated that when she once asked Michael Schiavo about treatment for Terri he responded, "How the hell should I know? We never spoke about this. My God, I was only 25 years old. We were young. We never spoke of this."; Michael Schiavo then ordered Terri's shades down at all times so no sunlight would enter her room.
2003: Tube removed/reinserted for the second time; Michael Schiavo subsequently removes all family pictures from Terri's room, denies flowers from her family and friends, denies certain CDs to be played for Terri, and refuses to allow her to listen to music with headphones.
2004: A psychiatric assessment by Dr. Carole Lieberman M.D., M.P.H. reports that Michael Schiavo has been under long term psychiatric care, including being prescribed several psychotropic medications, and that one of his treating therapists (Dr. Peter Kaplan) had advised that the police should have been involved after Michael Schiavo argued with and attacked Terri’s sister, Susanne.
2005: Feeding tube removed (this time for 14 days). At the time of death Michael Schiavo has Terri's family escorted from the hospice. Michael Schiavo claims his wife died "clutching" her favourite stuffed toy.

No comments: