Dear Editor,
I am writing to support and refute some of the claims made in an article titled “Survey finds increase in healthcare proxies” of the September 13, 2005 issue of The Boston Globe. The issue was talking about a survey that was taken in the state of Massachusetts with a finding that there was an increase in the appointing of healthcare proxies. It is true also that there is a huge line between consumers and healthcare providers when it comes to the issue of talking about death as the writer claimed. I support the fact that people should write down how they want to be treated during end of life.
Terri Schievo suffered a cardiac arrest on February 25 1990. This placed her in a vegetative state due to the massive brain damage that she suffered. A legal battle ensued between Schievo’s husband who wanted her to be taken off the life support for her to die and her parents who still wanted her to live in that same state even after doctors had declared that the situation will not get and better. Schievo’s husband won the case and on March 18 2005, Schievo was taken off the feeding tube. She died on March 31st 2005.
In the fourth paragraph of the said article, it was stated, “there was a Schievo effect but there is a gap between peoples preferences and the actions they take to have those preferences honored.” This Schievo effect spoken in the article refers to the vegetative state of Schievo. I beg to differ that, that effect is not the Schievo effect. It is a kind of death effect that has been there for years. People are just so uncomfortable talking about it.
On June 12 1985, The New York Times reported the death of a 31-year-old lady by name Karen Ann Quinlan after a ten-year battle of her right to die as she lay in coma. This was a similar case to that of Terri Schievo. This happened about twenty years before that of Terri Schievo. Schievo’s case was just a re-awakening of a serious medical issue that seemed to be put to bed.
On December 26th 1990, two days after Christmas that year, there was a similar case that happened to another lady called Nancy Cruzan when she finally gave up life after been in a vegetative state for almost seven years, after she lost control of her car and was thrown out of her car. (The New York Times, December 27 1990).
I will agree with the writer on the fact that there should be a lot of education to hasten residents to start talking about such issues as uncomfortable as it may be just to eradicate issues like that of Schievo. Advance directives are very important and I commend the writer for adding the voice to ensure that residents have to write down their wishes as to how they would want to be medically treated when the unexpected happens.
Sincerely,
Kwadwo Acheampong.
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