The Terri Schiavo Story Is A Cautionary Tale
In case you missed it, Vickie Chachere of the Associated Press recently wrote a report on Terri Schiavo – the young woman who has been brain dead since 1990 and is in the disputed right-to-die case in Florida. That report, published on Yahoo.com, February 24th, should give us all pause. Terri Schiavo is brain dead because she was trying to lose weight using unsafe dieting methods that resulted in a loss of potassium. Lack of potassium caused her heart to stop.
Terri has been kept alive in a nursing home since 1990 when, at age 26, her heart stopped briefly, cutting off oxygen to her brain. She has been effectively brain dead with no hope of recovery for nearly 15 years. Her husband Michael has said that she would never have wanted to live like this and has repeatedly asked to have her feeding tube removed. Her parents have been fighting to keep her alive.
The incredible irony of this case is that Terri’s condition was caused by her attempts to keep her weight under control by liquid fasting (iced tea not protein drinks or even water) and bulimia (throwing up after meals). Incredibly, if the courts side with her husband, her feeding tube will be removed and she will be allowed to starve to death.
Bulimia is a very dangerous eating disorder. According to experts, serious health risks can exist long before a bulimic begins to look sick. Even without good statistics on the number of people killed or disabled by eating disorders, it is well known that the binge-purge cycles of bulimia can lead to chemical imbalances that can harm major organs.
Bulimia affects women primarily, though not exclusively. There is no way to look at a woman and know whether she is bulimic. Bulimic women are not necessarily emaciated. I, for example, was bulimic for 25 years and no one looking at one of the nation’s leading fitness experts had a clue. Terri Schiavo wasn’t dramatically thin when she went to her doctor for medical treatment, she had simply stopped menstruating. The doctor failed to pick up the problem – which has resulted in a malpractice suit. Her husband, friends and family did not realize that she was purging after meals. Her parents still don’t believe that is what caused her heart failure.
For more information about eating disorders visit the National Eating Disorders Association.
On March 17th 2005 I will interview Reverend Mary Manin Morrissey on the role spirituality plays in today’s busy world. Please visit by webpage www.suzyprudden.com to sign up and listen.