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Apr. 7, 2005 Does money ever buy happiness? Does it comfort people when it is awarded in lawsuits? Does it unify families? If you look closely at what divides otherwise happy families, it is almost always money. Greed, power struggles, manipulation, and eventually hatred all seem to flourish beautifully once money takes root, especially windfall money. Money jump-started the rift between Michael Schiavo and his in-laws, later turning what should have been their private tragedy surrounding Schiavo’s severely brain-damaged wife, Terri Schiavo, into a media circus. Before Schiavo won a $1 million malpractice settlement, the three most important people in Terri’s life were on great terms. After winning the suit? Schiavo went from a beloved son-in-law to Satan's spawn, seemingly overnight. The in-laws say Schiavo reneged on a promise to give them a portion of his settlement, and Schiavo denies making the promise. I’m sure the truth lies somewhere in between, but make no mistake-their issues followed a fallout over the settlement. A settlement that should have never been sought, nor awarded. Schiavo sued Terri’s gynocologist for failing to diagnose her eating disorder while she was under her care for infertility. Terri apparently hid her disorder so well, her own husband didn’t realize it. Yet, her doctor lost the suit, basically for poor mind-reading skills or inability to detect a patient who doesn’t come clean about her health. I don’t think greed motivated Schiavo to sue, at least not initially. I think he was looking for ways to pay for Terri’s care. Or maybe he was mad at himself for not realizing, or even contributing to, his wife’s eating disorder, and had to project it somewhere? Maybe an ambulance-chaser preyed on his vulnerability? Either way, he won $700,000, which was set aside for Terri’s care, and $300,000 for himself. These frivolous suits are what drives the rest of our insurance rates through the roof. When Schiavo's in-laws didn’t get their piece of the pie, they went on a mud-slinging campaign against him. They resisted all his decisions regarding Terri, most notably, when he decided it was time to disconnect her feeding tube and let God take over. They even made sure Schiavo didn’t benefit from his settlement by forcing him to litigate, although I doubt it was done consciously. Fighting Schiavo only made him dig his feet in. Even though he carried out exactly what I’d expect my husband to do, I think he did the right thing for the wrong reasons. Advocates for the in-laws say Schiavo decided to disconnect the tube after receiving the money. I say his timing for losing hope was an unfortunate coincidence. For seven years, he tried everything to rehabilitate his wife, even when doctors kept telling him she wouldn’t improve. He tried having her brain stimulated through experimental procedures. He was rabid about her receiving the best care. He even became a nurse so he could take care of her himself. In the end, the only ones who saw Schiavo’s portion of the settlement were the lawyers who got it for him, and the ones who defended him against his in-laws. Funny how that worked out. I can only hope the lawyers involved are hit with a wave of bad luck. That would be poetic justice. Sadly, three, otherwise, good people let greed, pride, and revenge get the best of them. Now, Schiavo has no money, became the Husband from Hell’s new poster boy, and receives death threats. The in-laws weren’t even allowed to be at their daughter’s bedside when she passed away. Greed, pride, and revenge are three of the seven deadly sins. They all got what they deserved. ------------ About the author: Karyn Hughes has a fiction book published by Authorhouse entitled, Scattered Dreams, which is about a newly single mother who battles ADHD. Hughes is also looking for an agent since she has six other finished novels and one more in the works. All Hughes’ novels are related and could be part of a series. Email: Karynlilly1@comcast.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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