In 2006 Mr. Gary Harvey sustained a profound brain injury from a home accident. His wife Sara Harvey sought guardianship but the Chemung County Supreme Court denied her request. What right does Chemung County have to take away a spouses guardianship of her husband? Even it was a matter of money the state has no right to take away a wife’s guardianship when her husband becomes ill. The Chemung County Supreme Court appointed the Chemung County Department of Social Services as Harvey’s guardian. Now the Chemung County Department of Social Services in New York State wants to deprive Gary Harvey of food and water. This whole situation sickens me. Our society thinks nothing of the vulnerable in our society. Some people see these people as less than human and not worthy of living. This ticks me off to end. Would these same people want to be starved and dehydrated to death if their lives were affected similarly because of an accident or injury? Now Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s brother, has filed a request with the Supreme Court in NY to serve as guardian for Mr. Gary Harvey. It is great that Schindler is standing up for the vulnerable, who are unable to speak for themselves. God Bless him as he tries to save Gary Harvey’s life.
“I have raised the question many times, ‘How can Chemung County, Guardian of Mr. Harvey, be acting in his best interest when they, in fact, tried to kill him?’ From all indications, it appears that Mr. Harvey has been warehoused and denied the opportunity to receive the care and rehabilitative services that would benefit his condition,” Schindler told LifeNews.
More information at Terri Schiavo’s Brother Hopes To Save Patient From Death
I just posted on this, and linked back to you. I had read the Schiavo transcripts and media before and created a synopsis of the case; details are linked in the post.
This one is not likely to be so visible, but will be interesting.
Gary Harvey’s case I don’t have much data on; I see that the court records were sealed by the judge as the case gained visibility. It doesn’t look good.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
What was done to Terri Schiavo was so very wrong that words cannot truly describe the magnitude of it all. Her case has shown many what can happen in this crazy world that no longer values life and allows the main stream media to form opinions by slant. But there is another thing Terri’s life and death has done — it has alerted us. We won’t again be taken by surprise as we were when she was being sentenced to death. This, I believe, will be an advantage in the Gary Harvey case.
Keith, thank you for passing on this post and thank you, Catholiclibertarian, for posting this important story. Gary Harvey has been confined in St. Joseph’s Hospital since 2009 following a medical emergency. Soon after his arrival, the hospital ethics panel met and decided to terminate Gary’s life by pulling his feeding tube and starving and dehydrating him to death. They were not successful due to the tenacity of Gary’s wife, Sara; but they were successful in attaching an unlawful DNR to Gary. And unbelievably, the court left Gary in the very hands of the people who tried to end his life.
Since then, Gary remains basically warehoused, languishing behind closed doors in the hospital, starved for human companionship, receiving no therapy and no stimulation. Although he is not a criminal, he is treated as if he were because he is a ward of the state and his wife has been denied any rights to him, which is a common occurrence in unlawful and abusive guardianships. His wife is only allowed a meager 4.5 hours visitation per week, under guard, and with security cameras.
The Chemung County Department of Social Services has stated repeatedly on the record and in the public arena that they do not want to serve as Harvey’s guardian but there was no one else. Well, now there is and it’s Bobby Schindler!
Thank you so much for posting this imporant and life changing end of the tunnel event and hope for my husband who now has a chance for a better life and away from those who tried to kill him, continously isolate him, and hold him as a medical hostage in my view and observations from what my private insurance has been billed.
I am left in the dark and most recently when I am waiting for a confirmation from the county and promised an answer on Christmas eve so my husband can see me on Christmas day and new years day, I did not get one and missed our Christmas visit again. So I call to find out what the schedule is for new years day as I have yet received a confirmation…here is my reply from the county who works for me as a tax payer.
“I would prefer that the phone conversations be reserved for emergency situations.”
and you know I finally got a written confirmation for New Years on New years eve for that visit.
That is right Elaine Reniore that the county did not want my husband and there was no one else. Now there is and that is Bobby Schilndler and Attorney Johnson to give my husband who served our country a chance for better one. To be free to visit with who ever he wishes, to get rehabilitation that he never receieved to get a second independant medical opinion/exam that county has continously put up roadblocks.
Sara,
I am so sorry that you and your husband have been put through such trauma and abuse by Chemung County Social Services or the state of New York. I wish I could do more for you than just write a blog post. It is horrible that you were kept from seeing your husband on Christmas and waited so long for a response to see him on New Years. I am sending you *hugs*. You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers. God is with you both. God is watching over the both of you. Just lean on Him in these hard times. The Father knows all the hardships you have endured and are still enduring. Peace and God Bless.
As I recall (going to rewind to 2008), on the fateful day Sara was to argue the guardianship case with her attorney to obtain guardianship of her husband, her attorney (who I believe also worked for the county), suddenly came out of his brain coma and recalled there was a conflict of interest representing Sara with the county. After his miraculous memory recollection (just in a nick of time), he handed over to Sara his files (which contained virtually NO preparation for trial) and said something like “You’ll be fine, YOU CAN DO IT” as he gallavanted away into the unknown leaving Sara alone, scared, confused and completely unrepresented. This didn’t matter much to the folks in Chemung County, including the judge as they made her proceed WITHOUT legal representation which is NO surprise to have had devastating consequences. Someone once mentioned “Legal Abuse Syndrome”, BINGO!!!