Remembering The Wrong Terry Schiavo

Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Terri Shiavo’s death. I was totally fascinated by the case last year, keeping 24-hour death watch on FOX news. Yeah, I confess- when I watch the news (which I rarely do because it’s more disgraceful than my crappy reality shows), I watch FOX. FOX “news” is hysterical, partly because the anchors have a sense of humor but mostly because they’re completely unabashed in their bias. FOX is not for the easily influenced but since I don’t fall under that description, I think it’s safe for me to watch.

The whole ordeal prompted me to put my own dying wishes in writing and give them to my sister but I think a public blog is an even better place to make those wishes known, just in case my sister gets sucked in by some religious cult and conveniently “loses” what I wrote. It’s pretty simple: If there ever comes a time when I’m asked whether I want to live or die and I can’t give a decipherable answer, put me down. I don’t care how many balloons my eyes seem to follow or if someone thinks the fact that I winked when George Clooney appeared on tv is a sign, if I can’t say or write “I wanna live!”, pull the plug, hold a pillow over my face, stick a little sumpin’ sumpin’ in my IV - just let me go. I’m not one of those people who thinks life itself is precious, it’s the quality of life that makes it precious. Fortunately, nobody in my family is interested in being my caretaker so I don’t have to worry about anybody putting up a fight. My dad even offered to buy a gun and shoot me (a little too wistfully, I might add).

So back to Terri. With the anniversary of Terri’s death approaching I’ve come across this photo tribute to her many times, which is featured on her family’s website in her honor, Terri’s Fight. I understand that people want to remember someone at their best. But in a situation like this, where her family fought so hard to convince the courts and the world that she was a viable human being in her PVS state, I’m curious why they didn’t choose a photo of her in that condition. It wasn’t the young, vibrant, gorgeous girl who pulled at America’s heart strings. It was the woman lying helplessly in her bed as both sides tugged at her that did. I’m sure most people agree with the family that starving and dehydrating her was an inhumane way to end her life, regardless of whether or not she felt pain. So THAT’s the photo they need to show: The one of the shriveled up woman on day 14 without food or water. The Terri Schinder Schiavo Foundation won’t be able to change people’s dying wishes but a powerful photo like that could encourage changes as to how those wishes are carried out.