Customer Reviews

A Life That Matters: The Legacy of Terri Schiavo -- A Lesson for Us All

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This text is a more than excellent companion to the The Terri Schiavo Story DVD.

From attorney David Gibbs' work, I first learned that Terri Schiavo had been exceedingly more responsive and interactive than the public was led to believe. Even so, her cognitive level should have never determined whether she received food and water! As the Schindlers explain in this current work, "We had to argue that Terri wasn't PVS - even though she didn't fall into the PVS criteria - because only then would she be allowed to live. But why did Terri have to prove anything? She's a human being" (p. 230)

Way back in 1995, #120 of the Vatican's "Charter Health Care Workers" stated that "The administration of food and liquids, even artificially, is part of the normal treatment always due to the patient when this is not burdensome for him: their undue suspension could be real and properly so-called euthanasia." In 1999, in the Schindlers' & Schiavos' native Pennsylvania, the Catholic Bishops issued a revision of "Nutrition & Hydration: Moral Considerations." As per the bishops, "the patient in the persistent vegetative state is not imminently terminal (provided that there is no other pathology present). The feeding...is serving a life-sustaining purpose. Therefore, it remains an ordinary means of sustaining life and should be continued."

In spite of the above earlier statements (particularly the one from the Vatican), it appears that MISINTERPRETATION of one 2001 sentence from the 4th edition of the U.S. Catholic Bishops "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" fostered confusion about Church teaching, during the agonized suffering of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, her parents, and her siblings: "The USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities' report...points out the necessary distinctions between questions already resolved by the magisterium and those requiring further reflection, as, for example, the morality of withdrawing medically assisted hydration and nutrition from a person who is in the condition that is recognized by physicians as the 'persistent vegetative state' (PVS)." Michale Schiavo actually brags of being backed by at a trial by a supposed expert on Catholic medical ethics. When the Schindlers tried to appeal to their bishop, Michael Schiavo's team reportedly had the gall to cry witness tampering!

In his 2004 address to the International Congress on Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State, it appears that Pope John Paul II was directly intervening to bring clarity to Terri Schiavo's situation: "The sick person in a vegetative state, awaiting recovery or a natural end, still has the right to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, etc.), and to the prevention of complications related to his confinement to bed. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery....the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act....The evaluation of probabilities, founded on waning hopes for recovery when the vegetative state is prolonged beyond a year, cannot ethically justify the cessation or interruption of minimal care for the patient, including nutrition and hydration. Death by starvation or dehydration is, in fact, the only possible outcome as a result of their withdrawal." In response, Richard Doerflinger, chair of the aforementioned USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities stated: "With the Pope's statement, the Church's teaching authority has rejected each aspect of the theory that opposes assisted feeding for patients in a PVS."

While I feel challenged to understand how there could have been ANY remaining confusion, in 2007 the Vatican provided "Responses to Certain Questions of the USCCB Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration": "The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality, which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and death by starvation and dehydration are prevented....A patient in a 'permanent vegetative state' is a person with fundamental human dignity and must, therefore, receive ordinary and proportionate care which includes, in principle, the administration of water and food even by artificial means."

In 2009, the 5th edition of the U.S. Catholic Bishops "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" brought more clarity to Directive 58: "In principal, there is a moral obligation to provide patients with food and water, including medically assisted nutrition and hydration, for those who cannot take food orally."

As the Schindlers eloquently conclude, "Terri's tragic and needless death, and her life as a disabled woman, have forced us as a society to confront our prejudices against the disabled" (p. 229).

One final thought - While we may never know for certain why Terri Schiavo collapsed in 1990, "Silent Witness : The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death" explores an alternative explanation to what is commonly assumed.

Regardless of how you feel about the case, I read the book with an open mind. I could see how the Schindlers really felt and how they viewed their son-in-law Michael Schiavo. Of course, he could have divorced Terri and moved on with his life but he didn't. He stayed for 15 years plus the 6 married years of life. This book paints a complex portrait of the marriage and family relationships. Before the media stepped in, Terri's family fought hard to maintain their daughter's life even if it was in a state of almost wheelchair bound and hospitalized. According to Michael, Terri never wanted to live like that and I couldn't imagine anybody living the remainder of life like Terri did all those years. While her family was comforted by Terri's existence, we will never know what Terri might have wished for in the first place. There are no winners, neither Michael nor the Schindlers won anything here. Terri had a right to die just as she had a right to live. I don't know what happened that February night in 1990 that would cause her to live in such a state. According to the autopsy report which I read, she wasn't abused or neglected. She was treated and liked by the hospital staff. You wonder if Michael made the right decision in fighting for Terri. It would have been easier to let go and give her back to her parents and siblings. They would have cared for her regardless of the expenses but who would it be for the Schindlers or Terri's happiness. We'll never know the truth. I keep thinking about the family of Ron Goldman when I read this book. it was told from the Schindlers' points of view which made it confusing after a while. Still, I know that Terri is at peace somewhere which comforts the Schindlers to know that Terri is in heaven and that her life mattered to so many people. She had one miracle, she brought Jesse Jackson and Sean Hannity in a room together to pray for her joked Glenn Beck. Rest in peace, Terri and Ron, where-ever you may be right now.

An honest heartfelt accounting of the Shindler's struggle to keep Terri alive. Perspectives from all members Their legal fight to the finish and their shock at a system that failed them. If this could happen to them it could happen to any loving parent. As with any struggle there are lessons learned. Plans for their futures. A good read.

I hate trying to assign stars to a book like this. It's a very controversial topic, and one that I have strong opinions on. Still, I don't assume that everyone who disagrees with me is wrong, wrong, wrong. I have too much sympathy for all the combatants. I wish there had been a way to work it out peaceably.

There have been four books written by or with the cooperation of the principals in this case, and I have listed them in the productwiki. This came out at approximately the same time as Michael Schiavo's Terri: The Truth. It is interesting to see how the two books use the same witness, Cindi Shook, pp. 105-113 of this book and pp. 179-189 of Schiavo's. One might think that there were two different women.

The backbone of this narrative is by Mary Schindler, with other members of the family narrating specific events. This was a trifle confusing at first, but I rapidly got used to it. It reads pretty smoothly and has explanatory notes at the bottom of the page. It includes a section of color family photographs and four affadavits by doctors. Frustratingly enough, there is no index in any of the four books, so it is difficult to compare their handling of specific issues.

The Schindlers have three basic arguments: 1. Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS); 2. Even if she was in PVS, she left no instructions; 3. Even if she was was in PVS and left clear instructions "There is not now and never has been a 'right' to die" (p.221). That last statement not only makes the other two moot, and but I cannot help but wonder if to the Schindlers and their supporters, it justified saying just about anything in the first two arguments. With all the oversight that the case received, they simply don't convince me of the first two arguments. Michael Schiavo would have to have organized and sustained a large cabal of amoral doctors and judges, beginning before the case became famous and he became a poster-child for right-to-die issues, and continuing through a glare of publicity. Even assuming that they had no morals or professional ethics, Schiavo wasn't a politically powerful man, and the malpractice settlement simply wasn't that large, considering the expenses

The family strikes me as befuddled by grief. Despite their conviction that it really isn't relevant, the Schindlers still insist in the face of the autopsy that the doctors' diagnosis of PVS was wrong, the wild coincidence that it was confirmed is explained by the process of dying. Mary Schindler's description of her daughter as "healthy" is mind-boggling, even if she was at least minimally conscious. It strikes me as both delusional and heart-breaking. Bobby Schindler states: (p. 231): "Remember, most hospitals and many doctors WANT YOU TO DIE. It's convenient that way and much less expensive" [emphasis in the original]. I find that absolutely incredible! I can't imagine how so many people I know, including myself, have walked into those death traps and escaped!

I hope the Schindlers find consolation in their campaigns, but their agenda scares me. I believe that there should be a right-to-die, there is legally a right, I've left written instructions, and I certainly don't want the Schindlers and their ilk harassing my family. I wish the Schindlers all the luck in the world in creating their free hospital for those who want it, but I don't. I wonder which will take precendence: the political campaign or the hospital? I think it should be the latter: if the Schindlers can provide good care, then they might lovingly and gentle change people's minds in individual cases.

Certainly worth reading, but it doesn't convince me.

I first read Michael Shiavo's book and decided to read this to get "the other side" of the story. Michael Shiavos' account was pretty compelling and I wondered if I'd be able to give this viewpoint fair consideration.

In the end, reading this book reinforced to me that there is always more than one side to a story. The book is emotionally compelling and certainly brings a different perspective on Michael's personality and behavior. However, the book ignores and glosses over many things established as fact in court. Michael Shiavo, Judge Greer, George Felos, and everybody that disagreed with the Shindlers are judged to be either intellectually, emotionally, or morally dishonest. The Schindlers make many innuendos in footnotes throughout the book (the most significant that Michael strangled Terri which was the cause of her collapse), but they are based on no credible evidence. They completely ignore factual medical evidence that contradicts their claims that Terri was conscious and could intellectually react to her environment.

As I read the book, I felt compassion for Mary Schindler and her family, but I also got the impression that they were in severe denial and unwilling to look at any evidence that didn't support their hopes for Terri.

One interesting thing to note was that in Michael Schiavo's book he said that Terri was taken to the emergency room for what seems to have been food substance in Terri's lungs. He suspected that the Schindler family was trying to feed Terri by the mouth against the doctor's instructions (swallowing tests showed she could not swallow food). In the Schindler's book, they reveal that people were indeed trying to feed Terri by mouth. The timeline isn't clear, so this may or may not explain what happened to Terri in this regard.

Having read Michael's book, and having read other sources, I felt that the Schindler's book played pretty loose with the facts (or just ignored them). It is an emotionally compelling story, and if that is what you are looking for I can recommend the book. If you are looking for a discussion of the important facts of the case from the Schindlers' perspective, you will be disappointed.

It is difficult to review a book like this. It is a perspective piece and how can you give a low rating on someone's perspective? In the end, I think you have to take into account how broad, perceptive, and insightful the perspective seems to be. This book didn't provide much in that regard.

This book is in a journal format, mostly narrated by Terri Schindler-Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, with lengthy quotes and excerpts from her husband Bob, son Bobby, and others. It is very personal, and gives a sad insight into the family's experiences as their daughter was legally starved to death. There is some, but not much, bitterness expressed. To those who followed the case, this book will give a window on the Schindlers' experience, but not much in the way of new facts. One detail I was unaware of was that there had been an attempt in late 2001 at mediation, which failed when Michael Schiavo became abusive toward Mary Schindler and stormed out of the room. The media are shown in a not-too-attractive light (surprise!). The Schindlers express their gratitude for those who helped them spiritually and legally through it all, and describe their further efforts to give hope to others in similar situtions. One under-reported aspect of the Terri Schiavo story was the alarm shown by disabled-advocacy groups at the concept of killing a disabled patient, who had left no living will or similar instrument, at the behest of her husband and a judge. These groups (such as Not Dead Yet) were hardly noticed by the media.
All in all, a worthwhile story, told with dignity, of a sad milestone in modern American history.

"A Life That Matters" gives great insight to the Terri Schiavo case giving details that the media choose to omit. I think the bottom line, regardless of your view on euthanasia, is that here is a family that just wanted to take care of their daughter. The fight they had to endure and the unbelievable injustice system they had to face and ultimately lost to in the end should be a scary wake up call to the rest of us.

This is the Schiendler's recounting of the events that led to their daughter Terri Schiavo being removed from life support. It is a very highly emotional story. How could it be otherwise? However, the emotions get in the way of the facts of the case. Many of the alledged events they say happened before and after Terri's collaspe, never happened. Even at the end of the book, they discount the findings of her autopsy. I honestly believe this book was written for monetary gain. Sensationalism always sells better than the facts. To get the complete story I reccomend the book "Terri" by Mike Schiavo.

I found the book just as the Schindler family claimed it to be: five stories from Terri's biological family, narrating about their battle trying to save Terri's life.

I purchased this book because I wanted to hear how the Schindler family handled their emotions throughout the loss of their daughter and sister. The book allows the reader to hear what the family has to say without the control or influence of reporters and video cameras. With that said, I did not expect anything more when I bought this book-- I knew exactly what I was buying. This is a book about a family who struggled to save their daughters life, and all of their trials and tribulations throughout their journey. This book is clearly a family account and not written by a professional author, but the story and raw material are what made this journey a book. I could only imagine that this was a devastating experience for any parent to go through and appreciate their candor in A Life That Matters.

It is also good to know that the profits of this book go to the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation.

You need to read this book. All personal, political and religious beliefs aside, this is a story about one family's relentless battle to save someone they loved deeply. Whether you support the Schindler's or not, I am certain you will not be disappointed. Very candidly, this family allows readers a glimpse into their lives as they walk you through the past 15 years and explain the emotional toll it took on each of them. They also paint a picture of what Terri was like -- the real Terri, the one we never knew -- her personality, her strengths, her shortcomings. There are things in this book that will amaze you... things we on the outside never knew or saw through the media. You won't regret reading it, I promise.