Terri and the Miracles I've Seen

As the lawmakers, judges, husband, parents and others fight on over the case of Terry Schiavo, I am reminded of the various miracles that I have seen myself. Working in a large hospital while I put myself through college, I remember some of the cases I saw firsthand. Much like Terri's case I remember a young girl named Debbie. Debbie suffered the same type of brain injury experienced by Terri when things went wrong during a surgical procedure. She had the same type of parents that Terri has. Loving parents who never left her side. They bathed her and cared for her, spoke to her and comforted her every day. She never stopped being the daughter that those two parents loved so much, and no one but God ever tried to take that away from that family. Debbie eventually passed away many years later of other causes, but no one ever tried to robber her of life or take her away from the family she loved.

I also remember the cardiac patient that went into arrest one evening. As is always the case in any hospital, an emergency call went out and a team of professionals rushed in and assisted in an effort to save this man's life. The effort was futile and a time of death was pronounced. A short time later a member of the staff saw a blip on the monitor as she was disconnecting equipment. The effort started again and a man thought dead was soon back with the living. As long as there was a reason to hope, no one gave up on life. How can someone stop breathing, go flatline and not respond to so much medical treatment and then come back on his own? It defies reason, which is why it is not up to us to decide and arbitrate.

The final case I remember most was a younger gentleman. Treated for a rare form of cancer this man found himself paralyzed laying in a specialized bed separated from daily contact with his children while he fought his fight. I worked at that hospital for over four years and he was a patient the whole time, but he eventually walked out of that room.

What power allows people to come back from the brink when there seems to be no hope? I cannot answer that question for you. What I do know is that I didn't go looking for these episodes, they just simply happened as I watched. It is not up to doctors, lawyers, judges or even her husband to decide what happens to Terri. God and Terri will decide when she should leave this world, and we should simply give her the care she needs as she travels down her own road.