WebKittyn Warbles
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Terri Schiavo - One Year Gone By
The folks over at Blogs for Terri are having a blogburst for the next 13 days. I thought I'd get in on it since I was so deeply touched and caught up by Terri's story.
Here is the Blogs for Terri Blogburst.
Terri definitely left a legacy. A reminder that even though it doesn't always work in our favour, Congress is the house of the people and one person can be enough to rally these men and women. Terri became a unifier for people like myself who stood side by side in solidarity for Terri with people who otherwise might want nothing to do with me. Terri's story rose above religious or political boundaries and right-to-lifers stood in protest right next to pro-choicers and that's the one aspect of Terri's story that has stayed with me and left an impact on me.
I'll never forget the horror I felt as the days crept by and Terri was dying. Every time Terri's father would come on tv I would end up bawling like a baby for his pain. I remember driving my housemate and everyone around me batty with my constant discussions of the dirtbag that is Michael Schiavo. I remember not understanding why he just couldn't get on with his new life and leave Terri with her family. I remember waking up and the first thing I would do would be turn on the news to see if Terri was still alive. I watched the same video clips everyone else did and to me it did seem as if she was alert, that tiniest of flickers..
I was one of the many who, because of Terri, stopped putting off the unpleasant and made arrangements in case it ever happened to me.
I've never disliked a person I don't know more than I did/do Michael Schiavo, aka the Scumbag. He quickly came along and replaced Joey Buttafuoco as the most all around low class piece of walking white trash (politicians aside) I had ever heard of. So much of what he did seemed to be based solely on meanness and spite. I never bought into his caring husband act, the hair on the back of my neck still stands up when I see or hear of him. I feel for the poor people who have to live next door to the Scumbag. The man went out of his way to be cruel and the only comfort I've found is my belief in karma and what lies ahead for him.
Terri brought a barrage of emotions out of me in that last month, I didn't know I was capable of feeling so strongly about a person I've never met, a family I've never met. If I lived closer I know I would have been there every day, standing outside and shouting outrage. This one woman was able to touch so many people, people who still to this day take the time to remember her, blog about her, keep track of the Scumbag and educate new readers on medical science and law.
One person. One little person who made such a tremendous impact. It's a bittersweet victory for Terri's family, they have the legacy but not the daughter. My heart goes out to them as this anniversary approaches and they'll be forced to live this 13 day time span from last year over and over. No family should ever have to go through anything like this.
I've carried Terri's legacy in my being this past year. I've made a conscious attempt to be kinder and more understanding and not to take life for granted so much. I've kept aware of similar cases through Blogs for Terri and I've written politicians when something tugged at my heart. I've become a better person over the past year and Terri was a part of that. I spent my birthday last year watching the coverage on tv, Terri became a very special stranger.
My thoughts and compassion go out to Terri's family and friends on this anniversary. I am so very sorry you had to endure so much pain but please believe your daughter/sister/friend managed to reach out from her hospital bed and from beyond and touch many many people on a lasting basis. She made a difference. The Scumbag will never make a difference, he'll die just another forgotten nothing.
She made a difference.
More information on Terri and similar cases and law can be found at Terri's Fight.
<-- Steal me!
