This is a subarticle of Terri Schiavo.

Terri Schiavo before her 1990 collapse. ...

1963

• December 3: Terri Schindler is born in the Huntingdon Valley area of Lower Moreland Township, Pennsylvania.

Lower Moreland Township is a township located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. ...

1982

• Terri meets Michael Schiavo in a sociology class at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
• Five months later, Terri and Michael get engaged.

Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Bucks County Community College (BCCC) is a two-year community college located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. ... Newtown is a borough located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... Terri Schiavo before her 1990 collapse. ... Terri Schiavo before her 1990 collapse. ... Terri Schiavo before her 1990 collapse. ... The Palm Sunday Compromise, more properly known as the Act for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo, is the colloquial name for a Congressional law passed on March 21, 2005 to allow the case of Terri Schiavo to be moved into a federal court. ... During the Terri Schiavo controversy in March 2005, a talking points memo on the controversy was written by Brian Darling, the legal counsel to Republican Senator Mel Martinez of Florida [1]. The memo suggested the Schiavo case offered “a great political issue” that would appeal to the partys base... A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness. ... A living will, ˌliving ˈwill [countable] is a document explaining what medical or legal decisions someone should make if you become so ill that you cannot make those decisions yourself. ...

1984

• November: Michael Schiavo and Terri Schindler are married.

1986

• April: Michael and Terri move to Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Downtown St. ...

1989

• Michael and Terri begin visiting an obstetrician and receive fertility services.

This article needs cleanup. ...

1990

• February 25: Terri collapses of a heart attack and falls into a coma.

• May: Terri emerges from her coma but remains unconscious.

• May 12: Terri is discharged to a rehabilitation facility.

• June 18: Court appoints Michael Schiavo as Terri's legal guardian. Appointment is without objection from the Schindlers, but Schindlers say they were not notified of the hearing.

• June 30: Terri is transferred to Bayfront Hospital for further rehabilitation efforts

• September: Terri is taken home to be cared for by her family, but after being overwhelmed by her needs, she is returned to the rehabilitation facility.

• November: Michael takes Terri to California for an experimental procedure using a thalamic stimulator implanted in her brain. After several months, the procedure proves unsuccessful.

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A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness, which may result from a variety of conditions including intoxication (drug, alcohol or toxins), metabolic abnormalities (hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, etc. ... A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty) to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. ... A thalamic stimulator is a relatively new medical device that can suppress tremors, such as those caused by Parkinsons Disease or essential tremor. ...

1991

• January: Michael and Terri return from California to Florida. Terri is admitted to a brain injury center in Brandenton.

• March: Dr. W. Campbell Walker performs a bone scan on Terri. The scan shows prior traumatic injuries to multiple ribs (on both sides), both sacroiliac joints, both knees, both ankles, several thoracic vertebrae, and her right thigh. In addition, the scan shows a minor compression fracture of her L1 vertebra.

• July 19: Terri Schiavo is transferred to Sable Palms skilled care facility where she receives neurological testing as well as speech and occupational therapy until 1994.

• Michael begins studying nursing at St. Petersburg Community College to better care for his wife. He eventually becomes a respiratory therapist and an emergency room nurse.

• Dr. Victor Gambone, Terri Schiavo's primary care physician, concludes that she is in an irreversible persistent vegetative state (PVS).

• The Schindlers (Terri's parents) actively encourage Michael to "get on with his life" and date. Michael introduces the Schindlers to women he is dating. [1] Michael starts dating Cindi Shook.

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A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness. ...

1992

• May: Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers stop living together.
• August: Terri Schiavo is awarded $250,000 in an out-of-court medical malpractice settlement with one of her physicians.
• Michael brings a medical malpractice suit against the obstetrician who had been treating Terri for infertility. Jury finds the obstetrician had not properly diagnosed Terri's condition. The case is appealed.
• November 5: Testimony of Michael Schiavo indicates he is attending nursing classes at St. Pete Junior College in order to help his wife.

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1993

• January: The medical malpractice suit against Terri's obstetrician is settled before an appeal is decided. Terri receives $750,000. Michael receives $300,000. Terri's award is placed in a trust fund controlled by a third party for her medical care.

• February 14: Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers disagree over the course of treatment and therapy for Terri Schiavo. Michael Schiavo claims that the Schindlers demanded that he share the malpractice money with them. Both parties are no longer on speaking terms following this event..

• July 29: The Schindlers began to challenge Michael Schiavo's guardianship of Terri Schiavo and attempt to remove him as legal guardian.

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1994

• March 1: Guardian ad litem John H. Pecarek, submits his report which states that Michael Schiavo had acted appropriately and attentively toward Terri Schiavo.

• In March, Terry is moved to Palm Gardens of Largo, a skilled nursing facility in Seminole, Florida.

• The administration of one nursing home attempted, unsuccessfully, to get a restraining order against Michael because he was demanding more attention for his wife at the expense of other patients' care.

• Michael accepts the diagnosis that Terri is in an irreversible persistent vegetative state. In consultation with Terri's physician, Schiavo halts most therapy for his wife.

• Terri develops a urinary tract infection. Following a doctor's recommendation, Michael chooses not to treat it. Michael enters a "do not resuscitate" order, which he later rescinds after the parents protest.

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A urinary tract infection is an infection of the urinary tract. ... A DNR, or Do Not Resuscitate order, is a written order from a doctor that resuscitation should not be attempted if a person suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest. ...

1995

• Michael begins his relationship with Jodi Centonze.

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1998

• May: Michael Schiavo files a petition to discontinue life support for Terri Schiavo. Terri's parents fight the petition.

• June: Richard Pearse, Esq. is appointed guardian ad litem for Terri Schiavo by the Circuit Court for Pinellas County, Florida.

• September 11: Dr. Jeffrey Karp neurologically evaluates Terri and indicates that she "is in a chronic vegetative state" exhibiting "an absence of voluntary activity or cognitive behavior...inability to communicate or interact purposefuly with her environment." Karp also noted "her chance of any improvement to a functional level is essentially zero."

• Dr. Gambone, Terri's primary care physician, informs guardian ad litem Richard Pearse that Dr. Karp's PVS diagnosis (and prognosis) is the medical consensus.

• November: Terri's parents become aware of the bone scan report that was performed in 1991. Terri's parents and Dr. William Hammesfahr claim the trauma shown in the bone scan was a result of Terri being abused by Michael. Provided with only the scan information, forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden suggests a head injury caused the trauma. After learning Terri's full history, Dr. Baden agrees that the trauma is consistent with her cardiac arrest, fall, CPR attempts, and eventual resuscitation. The parents petition the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court for a full evidentiary hearing to evaluate the new evidence. Judge George Greer denies the motion.

• December 29: The second guardian ad litem, Richard Pearse, submits his report to the Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Court. Pearse concludes that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state with no possibility of improvement and that Michael Schiavo's decisions may be influenced by the potential to inherit what remains of Terri Schiavo's estate. Due to a perceived lack of evidence for Terri's wishes, and questions regarding Michael Schiavo's credibility, Pearse recommends denying Michael Schiavo's petition to remove Terri's feeding tube.

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George Greer is a judge serving in the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court, probate division, in Clearwater, Florida. ...

2000

• Michael is issued a license for nursing by the State of Florida, Department of Health.

• February: As a result of Michael's petition in 1998, the court rules that Terri would choose to have the tube removed.

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2001

• Dr. Ron Cranford, neurologist, assesses Terri's brain function as part of a court-ordered examination. His exam shows that Terri's cerebral cortex has been completely destroyed; he finds that her upper brain is 80% destroyed, and there is much damage to the lower brain.

• April 26: Terri's feeding tube is removed for the first time. It is reinserted two days later on an appeal by her parents.

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2002

• A trial is held to determine whether or not new therapy treatments would help Terri restore any cognitive function.

A new CAT scan shows severe cerebral atrophy. An EEG shows no measurable brain activity, but had extensive artifact, thus was inconclusive..

Five doctors are selected to provide their expert opinions to the trial. Schiavo's parents select Dr. William Maxfield and Dr. William Hammesfahr. Michael Schiavo selects Dr. Cranford and Dr. James Barnhill. The court selects Dr. Peter Bambakidis. These five doctors examined Terri Schiavo's medical records, brain scans, the videos, and Schiavo herself.

Dr. Cranford, Dr. James Barnhill, and Dr Bambakidis say Terri was in a persistant vegetative state. All three testiy that they have no experience in "treating" patients like Terri. Dr. Cranfrd is well known in euthanasia circles, has testified previously to patients being in a persistent vegetative state, and has been reversed.,

Dr. Maxfield and Dr. Hammesfahr say Schiavo is seriously brain injured, but is aware, and can follow commands. videoapes of Dr. Hammesfahr' exams and Dr. Cranford's exams show awareness to many physicians. (Dr. Maxfield was a radiologist, former chairmain of neuroradiology at LSU university, published author in Hyperbaric medicine and Nuclear Medicine. He estimates brain tissue at around 50%. He testifies that he has treated patients worse than Terri and there has been improvement. He performs a SPECT scan, a nuclear medicine study, which shows functioning brain tiessue, not "Scar" tissue, as was testifed by Dr. Cranford and physicians for the husband. Dr. Hammesfahr, who was identied by the state of Florida as the "first Physician to restore deficits ( injuries) caused by stroke" also testified that he had treated patients worse than Terri and had improvement. Dr. Hammesfah'r approach is to use medications that improve blood flow to the brain and help healing. His techniqes have been reviewed by the State of Florida, who found that in 300 consecutive cases of Brain and Stroke Injury treated with Dr. Hamesfahr's techniques, over 90% of patients had "New Activities of Daily Living" within 3 weeks of starting his treatment protocol. Most had been paralyzed for longer than 3 years before starting treatment.

Joining Dr. Maxfield and Dr. Hammesfahr, affadavits were filed by physicians from around the country, university and non -university based practices, that Terri was not in Coma and could be rehabilitated. CT apparatus in a hospital Computed axial tomography (CAT), computer-assisted tomography, computed tomography, CT, or body section roentgenography is the process of using digital processing to generate a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around... Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic measurement of the electrical activity of the brain by recording from electrodes placed to the scalp, or in the special cases on the cortex. ...

Terri's parents videotape Terri for four and a half hours. The video is edited down to several clips totaling four and a half minutes. Terri's parents cite the testimony and affidavits of 33 physicians and therapists (including 15 neurologists) who, after reviewing these four and a half minutes of video segments, believe that Terri should have received further tests and/or would have likely responded to therapy. Only two of these physicians had access to her full medical history and examined her in person. (The four and a half minute clips are later released publicly. The full video was able to be obtained by the public thruogh a public release.

Judge Greer rules that Terri Schiavo is in a PVS and was beyond hope of significant improvement.

• November 22: Judge Greer denies a motion from Terri's parents for a full evidentiary hearing to evaluate new evidence, the 1990 bone scan, which had only recently come to their attention. Greer states that the issue of trauma twelve years earlier was irrelevant to the current case.

• Florida's Second District Court of Appeal reviews all the evidence and upholds the trial court's decision.

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2003

• September 11: The Schindlers petition the Pinellas County Circuit court for the Sixth District. The petition asks the court to forestall any removal of the feeding tube for "eight weeks' therapy." Accompanying the petiton were five affidavits: four from members of the Schindler family (presumably her mother, father, brother, and sister) and one from Dr. Alexander T. Gimon. Additional affadavits from three "speech professionals" and two nurses, Heidi Law and Carla Sauer Iyer, were included.

Iyer claimed in her affadavit that her initial training in 1996 consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael Schiavo tells you or you're terminated." She also claimed that Michael said "When is that bitch gonna die?" and that he made many other similar statements. She states that on five different occassions, she tested Terri's blood sugar levels after Michael visited Terri, and she found that that Terri's blood sugar levels were so low it wouldn't even register a number. She stated that it was medically possible that Michael injected Terri with insulin in an attempt to kill her. Iyer states that standing orders were not to contact the Schindler family, but that she "would call them anyway." Iyer states that she eventually called the police and was fired the next day.

• September 17: Judge Greer issued a nine-page court ruling, rejecting the petition. Greer wrote that "the Petition is an attempt by Mr. and Mrs. Schindler to relitigate the entire case. It is not even a veiled or disguised attempt. The exhibits relied upon by them clearly demonstrate this to be true." Regarding Iyer's claims, Greer wrote that they were "incredible to say the least" and that "Ms. Iyer details what amounts to a 15-month cover-up (April 1995 through July 1996) which include the staff of Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center, the Guardian of the Person, the Guardian ad Litem, the medical professionals, the police, and believe it or not, Mr. and Mrs. Schindler. It is impossible to believe that Mr. and Mrs. Schindler would not have subpoenaed Ms. Iyer for the January 2000 evidentiary hearing had Iyer contacted them (in 1996) as her affidavit alleges." (PDF)

• October 10: The final remaining appeal filed by the Schindlers is dismissed.

• October 15: Terri's feeding tube is removed for the second time.

• October 21: The Florida Legislature passes "Terri's Law." Governor Jeb Bush immediately orders the feeding tube reinserted.

• December: Dr. Jay Wolfson reports to Governor Bush, "within the testimony, as part of the hypotheticals presented, Schindler family members stated that even if (Terri) had told them of her intention to have artificial nutrition withdrawn, they would not do it. Throughout this painful and difficult trial, the family acknowledged that (Terri) was in a diagnosed persistent vegetative state." [2]

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John Ellis Jeb Bush (born February 11, 1953), a Republican, is the 43rd and current Governor of Florida. ...

2004

• May 19: Florida Judge W. Douglas Baird overturns "Terri's Law". The ruling is appealed.

• September 23: Florida Supreme Court agrees that "Terri's Law" is unconstitutional.

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2005

• January 24: The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear the case.

• February 25: Judge George Greer orders Terri's feeding tube removed on March 18.

• March 11: Media tycoon Robert Herring offers one million dollars to Michael Schiavo if he agrees to waive his guardianship over Terri to her parents. Michael declines.

• March 17: Members of the Florida Legislature considered a bill that would make removing food and water from patients in a persistent vegetative state illegal without a living will. Although this bill was passed by the Florida House of Representatives by a vote of 78 to 37, the Florida Senate defeated a similar measure hours later, 18 to 21.

• March 17: U.S. Senators Bill Frist and Michael Enzi announce that Terri Schiavo would be called to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on March 28 in Washington. No one expects Terri to testify, but the move extends witness protection to Terri, requiring reinsertion of her feeding tube.

• March 18: Greer strikes down the subpeona as unconstitutional and Terri's feeding tube is removed for the third and final time.

• March 20/21: U.S. Congress approves emergency legislation, the Palm Sunday Compromise.

• March 21: Bob and Mary Schindler files a request for an emergency injunction with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.

• March 22: Judge James D. Whittemore refuses to order the feeding tube reinserted.

• March 22: Three Florida neurologists view 12 of Terri's CT scans. Dr. Leion Prockop says it was the "most severe brain damage I've seen." Dr. Walter Bradley says that he "doubts there's any activity going on in the higher levels of her brain." Dr. Michael T. Pulley said, "The chance that this person is going to recover is about zero" [3] Governor Bush's independent physician evaluates Terri and determines that she is in a minimally conscious state, not PVS.

• March 23: The Florida Senate again debates this proposed law, which is again rejected, 18 to 21.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta denies the request to reinsert the feeding tube. The three-judge panel rules 2-1.

• March 23: Bob and Mary Schindler appeal again to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• March 24: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to grant certiorari. Judge Greer issues an injunction denying the Florida State government's right to have the Florida Department of Children & Families take over Schiavo's care.

• March 27: Terri is given the Anointing of the Sick ("Last Rites").

• March 30: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta agreed to consider a petition by Mrs. Schiavo's parents to have a new hearing to decide whether the feeding tube should be reinserted. Later that day, the court denied the petition.

• March 31: Terri Schiavo dies at 9:03 AM EST.

• June 15: Autopsy results released.

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