Terri Was Not `Brain-dead'  June 29, 2005|Candy Wilson, R.N.
Organ Procurement Coordinator University of Miami's Life
Alliance Organ Recovery Agency Delray Beach  How unfortunate and
disappointing that the "professional" writing the editorial
about Terri Schiavo in Friday's paper made up a diagnosis. This
person stated in the editorial, in regard to Dr. Thogmartin's
autopsy, that "the report clearly verifies Terri was brain-
dead."  Dr. Thogmartin accurately diagnosed Terri as being a
person in a "chronic vegetative state who was blind and with a
brain half the normal size." He never said she was "brain-dead."
He knows there is a huge difference between brain death and
being in a vegetative state. Being blind doesn't make you
"brain-dead," having only half of your brain working or a brain
half the normal size doesn't make you "brain-dead." Yet someone
on your editorial staff inappropriately diagnosed her as "brain-
dead" in an editorial.  Too many people throw around the term or
diagnosis of "brain death" inapp