Terri's Videos
by Kevin McCullough
 If you haven't watched them for yourself then you should. The compelling videos of Terri Schiavo in person are some of the most telling pieces of evidence as to whether or not Terri was in fact in a "persistent vegetative state".
For the record, a Nobel Prize nominated medical expert Dr. William Hammesfahr - whose specialties include advancements in diagnosis and treatment of severe brain injured/damaged people - noted in his official report in the Terri Schiavo case - that she is not in a vegetative state. That's his expert medical diagnosis.
He examined Terri personally for more than 10 hours, examined her medical records and video tapes for more than 300 hours in total. Listen to his explanation on my show of the result of his examinations.
Michael Schiavo's "right to die" activist doctor - Dr. Ron Cranford - examined her for only 48 minutes and stated unequivocally that Terri was PVS.
But a number of other doctors have also examined the video that Dr. Cranford produced, and based on the viewing of that tape believe that Terri is not in a "persistent vegetative state".
Opponents of Teri's right to life have warned us that "no one else" could accurately diagnose her to determine whether she was PVS or not, unless they had seen her personally. Yet, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, one of the nation's finest heart surgeons, Dr. Weldon, and numerous additional medical doctors in Congress, along with Nobel Prize nominated Dr. Hammesfahr, and some 33 additional brain specialists from such schools as UCLA, Tulane, and LSU, all were willing to testify to the fact that Terri has not been in a persistent vegetative state.
There also is the sworn testimony of not one but several nurses who have said under oath that Terri used to sit with them at the nurses station in the hospice, interact with them, laugh at their jokes, and even say hello to other residents and visitors. But all of this evidence we are told - is not to be believed by Judge Grim Reaper - uh I mean - George Greer.
But then I had this question. I was sitting re-watching the Terri videos again and I kept asking myself - what's missing? As the father of a son who experienced mild disability, and having dated someone in the past whose true love was helping the disabled, and having worked with co-workers who have been parents to severely disabled children - I knew from my experience that something was missing in Terri's case.
And when I read Dr. Hammesfahr's report on Terri, it slammed the door shut confirming my hunch. You see one of the definitions of someone who is PVS is that they cannot swallow. A "liquefied cortex" would prevent someone from being able to swallow the saliva that they in fact produced. Doctors will testify that the average human can produce up to two liters of saliva a day.
You know how it is at homes for disabled children and adults. Many of them regularly have large amounts of saliva dripping all down the front of their shirts. Saliva and centers for people with disability go together like a hand in a glove. I have spent many a visit at centers - only to leave with one if not several residents' saliva attached to my clothing, sleeves, and hands. It just goes with the turf with many who have disabilities. And for people who are "brain dead" or PVS - it should be everywhere.
But with Terri... it's not. It's missing. It's just not there.
Her chin, lips, corners of her mouth, neck, and face are never slimy. How is this possible?
I admit - I'm not a Nobel Prize nominated brain injury expert but Dr. Hammesfahr is. And he testified that she was swallowing, and as such was not PVS, and as such - should have been allowed to live. Terri's missing saliva was a simple, but extraordinary, proof of life.
But then again - that fact did not fit the "culture of death agenda,” did it? Kevin McCullough is heard daily in New York City, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware on AM 570 WMCA and AM 970 WWDJ from 1-4pm. Adding stations in Chicago, Boston, and 16 more markets soon. Write KMC at kmc@wmca.com. Read KMC daily on his web-log at http://kmc.crosswalk.com.
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