Fighting for Dear Life by David Gibbs Page A

black trench coat could easily conceal something strapped to his body. Now what? While thankful that I didn’t find my family in the room, I still had a dilemma. Should I continue with the case, thereby becoming a lightning rod for every last person who disagreed with the outcome? After all, when I agreed to work with the Schindlers, I never dreamed that I’d become a target of someone’s delusions—or rage.
    Suddenly, the bailiff’s voice broke through my thoughts.
    â€˜â€˜All rise.’’
    The judge was entering the courtroom. It was time to get back to the business at hand. But in that moment of waiting, I had seen this case in a new light. I sensed even more that I was being called on not only to make legal arguments but to reach for something more fundamental about my convictions regarding the worth of every human life.
    Come to think of it, that had always been the reason I was pouring myself into this cause, why my office staff thought this case was worth working long hours, indeed often without sleep, looking for any way to put Terri back into the loving arms of her mom and dad. I had to march forward, do the very best I could. Warehoused in a hospice room across town, an innocent woman condemned to die was counting on me.
    Looking back on these events, I’m convinced that between the presence of the marshals and the power of prayer, the proceedings that afternoon went off without further incident.
    Lawyers are not supposed to become too personally involved with their clients. But this case was different. And as I stood up to make my legal arguments before the judge, I realized that my few moments of prayer and reverie had given me something invaluable. I now carried in my heart an even more unshakable appreciation—indeed, a clearer understanding of why the Schindlers refused to give up on Terri. I prayed that if I were ever in Bob Schindler’s shoes, someone would make an all-out effort for me and my family. I realized again that the effort to preserve life is always worth giving everything we have—no matter what the outcome.
    I approached the podium. ‘‘Your Honor, my name is David Gibbs, and I have the privilege of representing Bob and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo.’’
    OPEN TO A MIRACLE
    While fighting for Terri’s life within the court system was our primary avenue to save her from an unjust, premature death, a legal remedy wasn’t the only potential solution. That’s why behind the scenes my staff and I had worked around the clock to find some way—any way— to settle this tug-of-war outside of court. We knew that in just a couple of short months Terri’s feeding tube was scheduled to be removed for the third and probably final time, and we were committed that no option to save her would be left unexplored.
    For instance, with the single stroke of a pen, with a single decision, Michael Schiavo could have said, ‘‘You know what? I disagree with you that Terri has a quality of life worth maintaining. But she has a mother and father, a sister and brother who believe strongly that she can improve. All of her blood relatives want her to live. Maybe I should just walk away.’’
    Now that would have been an unforgettable gift.
    We wondered whether Michael might agree to some sort of compromise. Was there any set of terms under which he might consider releasing Terri to her family?
    What about a million dollar offer to just walk away?

CHAPTER NINE
    LET’S MAKE A DEAL
    Terri has parents whose unselfish desire is to simply love her, care for her and let her live. . . . Terri may no longer be perfect or complete but she has a fundamental right to life.
    â€”P ATRICIA H EATON , A CTRESS 1
    I ’ve always been of the opinion that this case should never have been taken to the courts. Long before George Felos or I or anybody else entered a courtroom, Michael and the Schindlers should have been able