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Posted: Monday, 23 August 2004 ; 02:01 p.m. From Staff Reports, THE REGISTER LAKELAND, Florida -- A special undercover correspondent to The Register, Bob D., has just now uncovered what are believed to be public court records of a previously unreleased video depicting a conversation with Clearwater resident, Terri Schiavo, who many believe to be in a "Persistent Vegetative State."
Click on one mirror below to view video - download time depends on connection speed and Internet traffic: [File size: 3.06 Mb - Hometown Mirror | Backup Mirror] Previous videos, found on the Front Page News "videos of Terri" section of http://www.terrisfight.org, the Official foundation site, do not include this potentially new clip. The videos listed on the official site, owned and maintained by Terri's immediate family, include the following quote, which omits any mention of the new clip:
The new clip, which depicts Terri laughing at some comments of her father talking about a drooping eye that she had as a child, appear to settle once and for all the controversy of whether Schiavo is in a coma or a persistent "brain dead" state, as many Americans have opined. The Register's editor, Gordon Watts, and other healthcare professionals have viewed the clip and come to the conclusion that Schiavo is clearly not unconscious or "brain dead," as many have feared, and speculate that this may have been a motivation for many seeking her death to suppress the video evidence. Watts holds his double major in Biological and Chemical Science, with Honors, as a Lifetime member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, and a vocational degree from United Electronics Institute, graduating in the top of his class in the latter. The website of Terri Schindler-Schiavo's family quotes section 765.101, "Definitions," subsection 12: a section of the Florida Law defining "PVS" AKA "Persistent Vegetative State." This link to the law from the http://flsenate.gov/statutes section of the State's website, reads as follows:
The 2004 Florida Statutes (12) "Persistent vegetative state" means a permanent and irreversible condition of unconsciousness in which there is: (a) The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of any kind. (b) An inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment. The Register's professionally trained investigators find that Schiavo does not meet the definitions to be classified as PVS, by the definitions set out by state law. Obvious even to an untrained observer, Terri is not braindead. However, the "legal" definition is the relevant standard in court. The law requires that a person not have either voluntary action or cognitive behavior of any kind as well as a total inability to interact purposely and communicate. Dead people clearly do not laugh at jokes, as Terri is shown doing in the video. Many speculate that Terri's husband and guardian, Michael Schiavo, refuses to take Terri to Oregon, the only state in which assisted suicide is legal, because doctors there might conclude that Terri is not PVS -and not terminally ill, the latter a prerequisite to qualify for an assisted suicide. The fact that her husband and his lawyer wish to starve her to death to allegedly carry out her wishes is good proof that Terri is not "terminally ill," that is, expected to die very soon. However, in order to be placed in a hospice in the first place, a patient must, according to state law, be terminally ill. If indeed doctors certified Terri "terminal," it is clear that they were mistaken. What is not clear is whether she was certified terminal -or why she is even in a hospice, instead of a regular hospital or learning-challenged center for the mentally or physically disabled. The laws mandating placement in a hospice, not quoted here, are explored in suits brought by Register editor and writer, Gordon Watts, seeking to obtain enforcement of state and federal laws protecting the disabled. However, regardless of what happens to these suits, it is now clear that Terri is not PVS. Bob D., Gordon Watts, and other staff contributed to this report. Some information was obtained from the official website of Terri Schiavo's family. A Final Analysis of the Video Clips for Terri M. Schindler-Schiavo This supplemental analysis was provided by Bob D., special undercover correspondent to The Register:
Data Summation - Data was collected in the following categories:
1. Rate of eye blinking
Big Eyes
Balloon
Terri and her Mother
Swab
Music
How's that Cold
(Seventh clip) Dad and Color Lights (dubbed the 'lazy eye memory' clip by some) Observations of the first six clips: Terri's eye blink reflex is about 1 every second at times. She was observed to blink the most when not stimulated by outside events. Blinking was the slowest just after waking up. Blinks appeared to be under her conscious control when stimulated from the outside, such as when her Mother is in front of her and speaking to her. Change in Terri's facial expression was clearly observed an appeared to be appropriate in response to external stimuli. There were observed periods however where it could not be determined from the video if change in Terri facial expression was a function of external stimuli. Terri's grin appeared to be appropriate and in response to external stimuli. Sounds that Terri made were soft low level controlled sounds. In nearly every cases the sounds she made were in response to external stimuli and appropriately made. The sounds made by Terri were low and of short duration. They could almost be heard as an attempt to form a vocal communication. Terri is capable of making limited independent upper body movements based upon available video data. Terri follows commands, both aural and visual. Her response to aural commands seems to be delayed in internal processing. Following visual commands are rapid and immediate. Conclusions of the first six clips: The data, while limited, seems to suggest that higher order cerebral functions are occurring in Terri Schiavo. Her eye blinking rate is appropriate and controlled; facial expressions are appropriate and controlled; sounds she makes are appropriate and controlled within the frame work of her brain injury. Independent movement, when observed, appeared to be appropriate and controlled; Terri's responses to aural and visual commands are appropriate and appear to be controlled within the frame work of her brain injury. Terri Schiavo's behavior and temperament appears to be stable and consistent from video clip to video clip. There is, in my opinion, no reason to think that her personal behavior patterns would change much on its own, over time. In my opinion, it seems to me that Terri Schiavo would benefit from and may improve by aggressive forms of rehabilitation and physical therapy. Analysis of the seventh clip: The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the seventh video clip recording for signs of conscious cognitive determined behavior in Terri Schiavo. The clip scene opens with Mr. Bob Schindler holding a board matrix of flashing color lights about three feet in front of Terri's face. Terri is peering off to her right toward her dad and the lights. Her face and eyes suggest that she is sensing the presence of the flashing color lights. When Mr. Schindler lowered the board of lights to put them away, Terri seems to know that the lights are no longer there. Her dad says something to another person in the room and Terri appears focused on her dad's voice. She seems a bit tired, and just listening. Mr. Schindler then turns to Terri and asks her something. Terri blinks her eyes and then turns her head and eyes directly toward her dad. He comments about her childhood condition of having a lazy-eye syndrome. Terri makes an appropriate laughing like response. She continued looking in the direction of her father. Mr. Schindler asked her if she remembered that Terri responded with a clear "Uh-huh." Terri then yawned slightly and then turned her head and eyes more toward her father, appearing to make direct eye contact, as if to give him her full attention. Then Terri made another sound in response to her father's question. The appropriate sound she made clearly indicated an understanding of her father's request, and also communicated that she was getting tired. Terri then made a long drawn out moan as if remembering something that made her both happy and sad at the same time. The scene ends with Mr. Schindler commenting on something that Terri's Mom said to her about her eyes. Terri's responses were not clear but suggest that she was tired. Scene: Terri appears to be sitting in a chair, head leaning back on a pillow. She is facing off to her right. She appears to be looking in the direction of the board of flashing color lights held about three feet from her face by Mr. Schindler. Mr. Schindler: "You know, she has a lazy eye." 3rd. Person: "Uh-huh." Mr. Schindler: "I don't know if you are aware of that or not. ... She wore glasses for over her ... her life. Cause her one eye rolls in on her." (He leans forward toward.) "Terri, Doesn't it? Huh? One minute it rolls in on you, we use to make fun." Terri: Makes a laughing chuckling sound and shifts her eyes toward her dad. There appears something of a smile on her face. Mr. Schindler: Laughs with Terri, "Do you remember that, we use to laugh at that." Terri: She makes an "Uh" sound as if to acknowledge her dad's question. Mr. Schindler: "Use to get Mommy all upset when you did that to her ..." Terri: Yawns, then immediately turns her head and eyes directly toward her dad. Mr. Schindler: "You would take your eye and let it roll into the side. Terri: She chuckles and then laughs out loud. Her laugh was so intense that she closed her eyes for a moment or two. Mr. Schindler: "You remember! Yeah. ... and Mommy would go crazy." Terri: She yawns. Mr. Schindler: "... and she'd say, 'Terri, what are you doing'?" Terri: "Uh-huh" followed by a long drawn out moan as if trying to communicate. Mr. Schindler: Speaking at the same time that Terri was making the drawn-out moan, his words were unclear. ... "Remember you used to do that to your Mommy? ... and she said ... she'd say, 'Terri don't do that'." Terri: She makes a grunting sound as if trying to communicate. Mr. Schindler: "Don't do that with your eyes."
End of clip. Laugh response found in 1st 6 video clips:
Clip: "Music" --- Number of laughs: 1 --- Duration: About 3 seconds OBSERVATIONS of the seventh clip: Terri seems aware of the panel of color lights that her dad was holding before her. Her head and eyes tried to follow the panel of lights as Mr. Schindler lowered the panel from her view. Terri demonstrates meaningful and controlled eye blinking rate. She is able to cognitively delay blinking her eyes according to the degree of attention that she is giving to outside stimuli, her father in this case. This same trait was consistently found in the other video clips of Terri. When her dad asks her a question, there is this slight delay in her mental processing, but Terri turns her eyes in a directed and controlled fashion in order to make direct eye contact with her dad. She laughs at her dad's comments in an appropriate manner. Her laugh response is consistently controlled both in loudness and duration. On several occasions, Terri yawned while her dad was talking to her, but then immediately turned toward him in order to reestablish eye contact, and better focus her attention. Terri demonstrates appropriate controlled physical responses to laughing out loud so intensely that she closed her eyes in response. This is not uncommon in people. The loudness and duration of Terri's drawn out groans in response to her father's words are consistent with brain damaged individuals trying hard to form words and communicate. CONCLUSIONS of the seventh clip: It would certainly appear on the surface that Terri has some general cognitive cerebral awareness of her environment as demonstrated by her head and eye movement while attempting to track the panel of lights as Mr. Schindler lowered them from her view. Both her rate and her ability to delay eye blinking at appropriate times strongly suggest that Terri is indeed processing information about what is happening in her immediate environment. Furthermore, it is likely, in my opinion, that her conscious processing and response to external stimuli is on the same plane as that of a normal person coming out from under anesthesia, somewhat foggy, dulled, and delayed. Terri's laugh response is good in terms of appropriate time, loudness, and duration -- clearly suggesting that she is using higher functions to process information about her environment, on a cerebral level. In any event, holding eye contact and laughing at her dad's story both clearly demonstrate a wide range of physical and cognitive processes on a cerebral level. Terri is actively interacting with her father in a meaningful fashion. There appears to be no random movement or responses on the part of Terri Schiavo that suggest her responses are mere lower brain stem reflexes. It is likely that her general temperament is consistent over time. Based upon the data present in this short video clip, it would appear that Terri is conscious of her environment but experiences delayed aural/visual processing. It is my opinion after carefully reviewing all seven Terri video clips that Terri Schiavo is there. She is conscious, but may suffer episodes of consciousness drift. Increasingly, I am of the opinion that Terri Schiavo could benefit from aggressive physical, speech, and other neural related therapy. I believe, based upon the best available evidence taken together, that conceivably she could regain a more complete and functional capacity to interact with her environment and with the people in it who are the closest to her, if provided necessary treatment. Suffice it to say that Terri Schiavo deserves the opportunity to see what might be possible for her under the loving care of her family, the Schindlers.
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