Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2006 > July > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USDaughter will run road race to honor Dad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doctors say Chris Smith had the heart of a 30-year-old.
He ran three miles a day, six days a week. He lifted weights several times a week.
He’d been a miracle child. Two brothers died at the age of 21, victims of muscular dystrophy. It’s a genetic disorder that birth mothers can pass on to their sons.
Somehow Smith, 43, didn’t contract it.
So it’s hard for Kathy Smith to make sense of what happened to her husband on May 25, 2005. Chris had just finished a three-mile run. The Secret Service agent hopped on an office elevator and headed up to the 30th floor to shower. He apologized to riders for being sweaty and rank, then eased to the rear. He squatted. Riders thought he was stretching.
When the elevator reached Smith’s floor and he didn’t exit, a rider tapped him on the shoulder. Smith fell over.
He’d suffered a massive heart attack.
In a span of minutes, Smith became another Terri Schiavo. Doctors and experts told his wife as much. Let him go, they told her. Pull his feeding tubes. She told them to go to hell. She didn’t give him his first breath of life. She didn’t intend to take away his last. She saw only one option, and that was to bring her man home, where he belonged.
Smith has remained comatose, with little awareness of his surroundings. He’s sensitive to touch and startles easily. It’s unclear whether he can see. Kathy says he can hear, though, because he perks up at the sound of her voice or when Caitlin, their 14-year-old daughter, plays the violin.
Kathy had to remodel part of their Lawrenceville home to accommodate Chris. Hardwood floors replaced carpet. An overhead lift was installed in the first-floor master bedroom. He has a shower trolley to bathe in and a tilt table to stand him upright two hours a day. An LPN is on hand 24/7.
Chris spent 17 years with the Secret Service. The family draws a majority of his salary, as well as workers compensation. Don’t think it was handed over on a silver platter, though.
“You don’t want to go there, honey,” Kathy told me. “That’s another story in itself.”
Kathy could have removed Chris’ feeding tubes. She refused. More understandably, she could have placed him in a hospice equipped and staffed to provide care for invalids like him. Neither option suited her. She chose love, honor and dignity over self. His is a life that matters.
“If you had the most wonderful man in the world, would you put him in a nursing home?” she told me. “I love him, and I will never stop loving him. I will honor him until he draws his last breath. My love for him has not changed.”
Had life not changed for Chris, he’d be running in today’s Peachtree Road Race. He had plans to participate last year before the heart attack. Instead, Caitlin used his number and ran the race in his honor. She was accompanied by three law enforcement officers.
“Last year, I ran more than walked,” said Caitlin, a rising sophomore at Brookwood High.
This year, she plans to run more. She even has her own race number — 42625.
But like last year, she’s still running with a purpose — to honor Dad.
Comments
By Bobby Schindler
July 3, 2006 10:44 PM | Link to this
Mrs. Smith and people like her are the real heroes when it comes to how we are to treat loved ones who need only our love, compassion and care.
Sadly, it has become apparent that there are many in our nation, including many in our popular media that have embraced this frightening mentality and view the disabled and persons like Mr. Smith as an inconvenience and therefore rationalize killing them.
Thank you Mrs. Smith, your husband is truly blessed. I will keep you both in my prayers.
Sincerely, Bobby Schindler
By Carrie Hutchens
July 4, 2006 12:00 AM | Link to this
Mrs. Smith & Caitlin, may blessings embrace you always and may a miracle become yours to behold. I, too, shall keep you in my prayers.
Mr. Badie, thank you for writing such a wonderful story of a family’s love and devotion. We read too few of these. How refreshing. Gives one hope!
By Carrie Hutchens
July 4, 2006 12:01 AM | Link to this
Mrs. Smith & Caitlin, may blessings embrace you always and may a miracle become yours to behold. I, too, shall keep you in my prayers.
Mr. Badie, thank you for writing such a wonderful story of a family’s love and devotion. We read too few of these. How refreshing. Gives one hope!
By Janice Sanford
July 4, 2006 02:35 AM | Link to this
This story is heart-moving. And the Smiths are a fine example of what a family will endue in the name of Love. Keep the faith.
Love and prayers to you all.
By Bruce Wilcox
July 4, 2006 07:55 AM | Link to this
I believe in leaving the choice in Nature’s God’s hands. Extended life support is unnatural and I don’t believe it’s in Nature’s God’s agenda. We don’t really know the victims wishes, the article never pointed out if a living will was involved, otherwise it is the spouses choice.
I personally do not wish to reside in an extended vegetative state, my wishes I clearly stated in a legal document.
No I do not wish to be another Terri Schiavo.
By Bradley Houston
July 4, 2006 08:53 AM | Link to this
The Smith’s are my neighbors, and I have seen the study stream of LPN’s come to their home, never knowing what was happening. Now I do. My thoughts and prayers go out the family.
By Susan
July 4, 2006 11:18 AM | Link to this
You are a family in the true definition of the word. May God bless you all, and hopes of a miracle for your beloved husband father are mine for you. You are the exception rather than the rule, and I applaud you. Miracles DO happen!!!
By Grandma
July 4, 2006 11:21 AM | Link to this
If he survived a massive heart attack, God has a purpose for him. Who are we to say who should live and who should die? Where there is life, there is hope.
By Michael H. Smith
July 4, 2006 12:09 PM | Link to this
Mr. Smith is far from being another Terri Schiavo. He has a “solid family” that will not allow “others” to determine his fate. While life’s inevitable remains evitable let hope spring eternal in your hearts Kathy and Caitlin. I wish you all the very best, and may better tomorrows’ be your future.
(Docs: Comatose Man’s Brain Rewired Itself)[http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2150606]
(Promising news from the Land Down Under)[http://www.news-medical.net/?id=18663]
www.unsw.edu.au/
By Zac "J.Lo"
July 4, 2006 03:48 PM | Link to this
Cait’s in the AJC! Good job runnin it! Remember, I’m bossy!
By justo
July 4, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this
This woman is the ultimate mate. No one could wish for a better person to be looling over ones life. You have my total admiration.
By Kathy Smith
July 4, 2006 08:16 PM | Link to this
To address Mr. Wilcox, the answer is “NO” we did not have a Living Will, however my husband had expressed a desire in the past to be “kept alive”. However, he is NOT being “kept alive”. He breathes entirely on his own without any added oxygen and has not been on a respirator since day 17 of his illness. We give him liquid nourishment and water through a stomach tube and he’s on limited medications. He also takes no medicines for his heart as there is no residual damage there. He still has the heart of a 30 year old man. He’s bathed and exercised daily, listens to books and music on tape, and will hopefully have a handicapped van someday so that we can take him outside of the home for recreational outings and to church. He also receives Communion every Sunday, just as he did before his illness. He is no less of a man than he was 15 months ago, therefore he deserves no less. In fact, he deserves a lot more than Caitlin and I will ever be able to give him because he is truly the best husband and father in the world—always has been and always will be. It’s our belief that God holds life and death in his hands and when Chris’s purpose here on earth is complete then God will take him to his true home. You see Chris was never ours to keep anyway. We sincerely hope that everyone who reads this will pray for us and for Chris’s healing. God’s wonderful grace and tender mercies has seen us through 15 months and He assures us that it is everlasting so we will stay the course until He says the time is up. Thank you for your prayers.
By Sue Zappa
July 4, 2006 11:49 PM | Link to this
Kathy & Caitlin, you and Chris are in God’s Hands, so don’t lose hope! You sound like incredibly strong women who’ve been blessed with a wonderful husband and father. Chris knows you’re there for him, and he’s there for you, in more ways than you can even begin to know. “Where there’s life, there’s hope,” and you’re doing all the right things. All of you will be in our family’s prayers!
By Bruce Wilcox
July 5, 2006 12:24 AM | Link to this
Kathy Smith, I offer my sincere wishes that everything will turn out for the best. You as Chris’s spouse had the decision to make and I respect that. By no means did I mean any disrespect.
I was responding more to Mr. Badies comparison to the Terri Schiavo case. I can not see even a remote comparison between the two.
I wanted to point out the need for a living will, even for young couples. The Schiavo case is a perfect example. My wife and I had a serious discussion about our wishes long before the Schiavo incident. My wishes are expressed above, but they are my choice only.
My wife and I will keep you both in our prayers.
By Bobby Schindler
July 5, 2006 02:49 PM | Link to this
Re: Mr. Badies comparison to the Terri Schiavo case. I can not see even a remote comparison between the two.
Mr. Wilcox,
I am sorry but this is exactly like the Terri Schiavo situation. Just as Mrs. Smith said about her husband, Terri did not have a living will, and Terri was not being “kept alive”. She breathed entirely on her own and was not dependent on any type of machinery. Terri was also given liquid nourishment and water through a stomach tube. Terri was disabled, not disposable and was dependent only on others. There was, however, one difference between Mr. Smith and Terri and it was that Terri had a ‘husband’ that preferred her dead, whereas Mr. Smith has a spouse that is doing what we are called to do as human beings, and that is to love and care for those that are the weakest and most vulnerable among us.
Bobby Schindler Terri Schiavo’s brother
By Bruce Wilcox
July 5, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this
Mr. Schindler with all due respect I think you may be a little too close to the situation to discuss it on a blog., there are just too many factors to consider. The Courts ruled on the issue many times and decided it is the spouses responsibility to make those decisions. I’m sorry for your loss.
By Ceebee
July 6, 2006 09:15 AM | Link to this
I find great inspiration in both this (Smith) situation and the Schiavo situation. In both cases, Mrs. Smith and Mr. Schiavo have shown respect and dedication to the wishes expressed by their spouses with regard to their own medical treatment choices. May God bless them all.
Mrs. Smith and Caitlin, you and your dear husband/father are in my prayers. Caitlin, I think you’re terrific, and I know that you are a source of support, love, and great pride to your parents.
Thank you, Mr. Badie, for sharing this wonderful family with us.
By Carrie Hutchens
July 7, 2006 03:10 AM | Link to this
Mr. Wilcox,
I’m assuming that when you speak of “courts”, you are not referring to the Schiavo case alone. Those numbers certainly were inflated. I wonder why that seemed to be necessary?
Carrie Hutchens
By nikki
July 7, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this
This story has so touched my heart.
Mrs. Smith and Caitlin are certainly to be admired. I am in awe of them. This kind of family committment is rarely seen. Goes back to what someone told me recently - “Never give up on family and never stop loving them.”
By Phyllis
July 8, 2006 07:36 PM | Link to this
My best wishes to the MSSS Smiths. You two are awesome in your beliefs, desires and passions. Glad the USSS family has been able to help out. You have guts. I feel honored to know ya! Phyllis (never give up)
By Cheryl
July 10, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this
Kathy and Caitlin continue to put everything in Gods hands. He will give you the strength you need to take care of Chris. Just remember the SS “family” is there for you. I have seen them do wonderful things and they take care of their own. Love and Prayers for all three of you.
By Sara L.
July 11, 2006 12:20 AM | Link to this
Mr. Wilcox, with all due respect, who better than Bobby Schindler to discuss this on a blog or anywhere else? I do agree there are just too many factors to consider here as Terri’s was an extremely compliated case, but to say that “the courts ruled on the issue many times and decided it is the spouses responsibility to make those decisions” is a great simplification of the legal procedures as well as simply … incorrect.
By James Youngblood
July 12, 2006 10:52 PM | Link to this
You truly deserve everlasting gradititude and honor for supporting God’s gift of life.
For those who want to know something about the Schiavo case, I invite you to visit the AOL message board. It the most active message board today and active to this very minute. Virtually every detail of Terri’s saga has been discussed at length.
http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=550022&func=3&channel=News&refresh=true Fair Warning: The board is populated by numerous Michael Schiavo trolls. They will unmercifully attack anyone who was in support of Terri’s life. Also, some of the comments on the board are extremely demorializing and disturbing to read but it is really a good board with a lot of information to portray.
By tinker
July 13, 2006 05:23 PM | Link to this
re: James Youngblood’s comments.
The only disturbing comments on that board are from James.
to Bobby Schindler
Given that Terri could NOT eat on her own, she was indeed being “kept alive” by the feeding tube. Like it or not, that IS artifical life support. While I felt for your loss, when you say things like “her husband prefered her dead” is disingenuous at BEST. Personally I feel you and yours are profiting from her death, and I find that repugnant.
Mrs Smith. Bless you for doing what YOU BELIEVE IS RIGHT for your spouse as you know him best. My prayers are with you and yours.
By MikeinVA
July 14, 2006 01:53 PM | Link to this
To Bobby Schindler. Terri had a husband who cared more about honoring his wife’s wishes not to be kept alive in a non recoverable state,you & your family were given five years worth of chances starting in 2000 to provide evidence to the contrary of what was presneted by her husband in a court of law but were unable to provide such proof.
When you & your family couldn’t win in a court of law you took to a relentless smear campaign against Michael in a desperate attempt to win in the court of public opinion by spreading lies that have been disproven by the hard scientific evidence found in the autopsy report & by choosing to side with the religious right who cared nothing about Terri at all except her value as a posterchild in their ongoing abortion rights battle,along with the baseless allegations of abuse against Terri that never happened you lost what little credibility you & your parents might’ve had with me. This whole thing started over money…money that your parents wanted for themselves to bail themselves out of the financial mess that your father made when his business failed in 1989 before your sister even collapsed.
Like Tink I find it disgusting that you & your family a profitting off of Terri’s tragedy & even worse that you never really wanted to take care of Terri at all but were only after her inheritance by doing the same thing that you falsely accused Michael of doing.Michael is actually working for a living & not out there making a living off of speaking engagements on behalf of the antiabortionists.I’m still disgusted that you & your family had the nerve to sell those edited videotapes for $100 a pop back in 2003 in direct violation of a court order prohibitting such actions knowing full well that Terri was very conscious about her appearance before her collapse & wouldn’t have wanted people to see her in such a state.
By Gordon W. Watts
July 14, 2006 11:05 PM | Link to this
Why can’t I post my comment? I posted a small, less than 700 word comment at 7/14/2006 8:43:27 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (or actually before, because that was when I emailed the ACJ asking for help).
Do you screen out the “good” pro-life responses; ACJ wrote: “There will be a delay of up to 5 minutes before your comment appears.” One thing is sure: This was sure longer than 5 minutes ago, and it still hasn’t posted to the board.
BTW, did the fact I almost won my habeas plea to save Terri’s life have any factor in the defaulting of this post? (Lacking in publicity, I nonetheless did better than Jeb Bush when we went before the same court; Interested parties may look up our case numbers in the Fla. Supreme Court: Jeb was denied rehearing 7-0; I was denied 4-3, narrowly losing my bid to save Terri.)
PS: If this posts, I will try again to post my original comment, actually addressing the prior poster’s incorrect comparison to the Schiavo case -instead of this post, which merely brags and boasts (and complains of not being able to post) but says nothing more.
Gordon Wayne Watts in Lakeland, Florida, U.S.A.
By Gordon W. Watts
July 14, 2006 11:18 PM | Link to this
While I can see the point Mike makes, it is not fair to slam Bobby’s family for making money for their hard work (and they do work hard at what they do, agree or disagree with them) —if you also don’t slam Michael Schiavo, George Greer, and George Felos for their profit on the “speaking circuit,” and remember: a judge makes a lot more money.
But, I want to touch on a few points before I move on:
1) Terri WAS able to feel pain, or else they would not have given her pain killers and worried about her “aspiration” (choking) on any attempts her parents had to feed her “regular” food, once the feeding tube was disconnected.
2) If she were truly “PVS” and unable to feel pain, as some allege, why have a problem attempting to feed her “regular” food and water: After all, a “PVS” person can’t feel pain. Even a kid knows that.
3) For “real” videos of Terri, you might browse: http://gordonwatts.com/ConversationWithTerri.wmv
or http://hometown.aol.com/GordonWWatts/myhomepage/ConversationWithTerri.wmv
By Gordon W. Watts
July 14, 2006 11:20 PM | Link to this
4) Florida State Law, §400.6095(2), Fla.Stats., limits admission to hospice limited to “terminal illness by a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459…” (Accord §400.609(4),Fla.Stats.) See e.g., http://FLSenate.gov/statutes to verify this.
5) Terri was not “Terminal” based on the federal definition, which defines “terminal” if the state law is unclear on it, and states as follows: “prognosis is for a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the terminal illness runs its normal course.” 42C.F.R.§418.22(b) (FEDERAL LAW)
6) It was clear, after about FIVE (5) years of residency at Woodside, that Terri is not “terminal” within the 6 month definition above.
“Things that make you go ‘hmm…’.”
7) Based on state definitions for “PVS,” §765.101(12)(a),Fla.Stats.: “‘Persistent vegetative state’ means a permanent and irreversible condition of unconsciousness in which there is: The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of ANY kind.” (Emphasis added), the videos I’ve provided are clear: Terri may have been unable to “think” as we know it, but he had some cognitive ability.
8) Whether Terri could -or could not “eat” —she was not allowed to be deprived of at least a chance to eat food and water:
§825.102(3),Fla.Stats. “(a) “Neglect of an elderly person or disabled adult” means: 1. A caregiver’s failure or omission to provide an elderly person or disabled adult with the care, supervision, and services necessary to maintain the elderly person’s or disabled adult’s physical and mental health, including, but not limited to, food, nutrition, clothing, shelter, supervision, medicine, and medical services that a prudent person would consider essential for the well-being of the elderly person or disabled adult; or (b) A person who willfully or by culpable negligence neglects an elderly person or disabled adult and in so doing causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement to the elderly person or disabled adult commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in §775.082, §775.083, or §775.084.”
By Gordon W. Watts
July 14, 2006 11:23 PM | Link to this
9) Denial of food and the ever-elusive “cup of water,” not only denied her religious beliefs (see Matthew 25:31-46), if we are to believe the Bible, but also get this: JESUS is angry at those who denied “the least of these,” His “brethren,” which included little-sister, Theresa Marie “Terri” Schindler-Schiavo. (I, for one, don’t want Jesus angry at me; Do you?)
10) Terri was denied her own lawyer, illegally: §744.3215(1)(l),Fla.Stats.(Nondelegatable rights to counsel)
11) Terri was denied therapy in the years preceding her death, illegal also: §744.3215(1)(i),Fla.Stats. (Nondelegatable rights of rehab)
12) While 10 and 11 don’t look intuitive, they are NON-delegatable rights, meaning they can NOT be taken away by the court, and for an example of a right than CAN be “delegated,” just to prove my point, check out: §744.3215(3)(b),Fla.Stats. (Rights that may be removed: Sue and defend) and §744.3215(3)(f),Fla.Stats. (Rights that may be removed: consent to med. trtmnt)