Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"A Big Victory" for Harvey

A request by the Chemung County Attorney’s Office to remove Gary Harvey’s total-parenteral-nutrition (TPN) tube was formally dismissed.

The county Attorney’s Office filed the motion to remove the feeding tube in early June but informed state Supreme Court Judge Judith O’Shea late last month it was withdrawing the request, according to a letter from Assistant County Attorney Donald Thomson.

In early June, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Ethics Committee recommended the removal of Harvey’s feeding tube because it was no longer a viable source of nutrition and was causing fungal septicemia, according to an affidavit completed by Rita Gould, the supervisor of Adult Services for the Chemung County Department of Social Services.

Fungal septicemia is an infection that in Harvey was located where the feeding tube was inserted. Later in June, however, the infection began responding to treatment, and the county withdrew its application to remove the feeding tube.

Harvey’s case is still far from over, said his wife, Sara Harvey, who called Monday “a big victory.” Remaining open is the issue of a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. According to Thomson’s letter, a DNR order has been issued in the case.

Sara Harvey is fighting the order. She said her ultimate goal is to regain guardianship of her husband – who is in what doctors describe as a persistent, vegetative state with little to no chance of recovery – and take him home and provide care there.

Full Article and Source:
Comatose man's feeding tube won’t be removed

See also:
Guardianship of Gary Harvey

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This case is so important for many reasons, one of which is because the county attempted to execute Gary Harvey - a man who had done no crime.

Anonymous said...

Hooray --- finally some good news!

Now we are waiting to hear that Gary Harvey has gone home, Chemung County has either been removed or quit, and Sara Harvey has been appointed as her husband's guardian.

Anonymous said...

Let Gary Harvey go home for God's sake, with his wife Sara. Enough of this power and control addiction with court approval. Take notice folks, this could easily happen to you.

Anonymous said...

Hold on here ---

1. Fungal septicemia is an infection and it was located where the feeding tube was inserted.

2. Feeding tubes must be cleaned and maintained. In order for Gary Harvey to get an infection at the site of the tube, someone (actually many someones) wasn't cleaning and maintaining the tube site.

3. The "someone" in point 2 would be CCNF - Chemung County Nursing Facility, as Gary was confined to CCNF at the time of the infection.

4. So, what we have here is medical neglect by CCNF, resulting in endangerment to Gary Harvey, nearly costing him his life in fact.

5. Sara Harvey advocates for proper care for her husband but is ignored and worse, labeled a troublemaker for her efforts.

6. The county even has the audacity to indicate that Sara Harvey won't accept medical advice and therfore isn't a suitable guardian for her husband.

7. Sara Harvey continues to advocate for proper care for her husband.

8. Chemung County tries to end Gary Harvey's life - wanting to starve and dehydrate him to death because of the medical neglect of CCNF which resulted in the fungal septicemia.

9. CCNF and Chemumg County are both entities of the County -- buddies, watching each other's backs.

In other words, Gary Harvey's court-appointed "protectors" have neglected and endangered him - and even made an attempt on his life. And unbelievable, and malevolently, they did this while pointing at Sara Harvey and accusing her of being a danger to her husband!

Judge O'Shea, Gary Harvey needs you to protect him now --- please do what's right for Gary Harvey. Send him home and give Sara Harvey her husband's gaurdianship.

Anonymous said...

It is a big victory for Gary Harvey - avoiding death by torture is a major victory.

Just think, if Gary Harvey didn't have his wife to advocate for him, he'd be dead and buried by now.

And Chemung County would be trolling for it's next victim with no one the wiser.

Perhaps Chemung County should be fully investigated to see how many wards have "died" under their "care".

Anonymous said...

If Chemung County has issued a DNR order on Gary Harvey, it will just make it easier to do him in next time.

The decision on whether or not to put a DNR on Gary Harvey should come from his wife.

Anonymous said...

Chemung County APS, Rita Gould, and St. Joseph's Hospital Ethics Committee all should be brought up on charges of attempted murder.

Anonymous said...

I do not believe Gary Harvey has been diagnosed as being in a "persistant vegetative state". I believe he's been diagnosed with severe brain injury.

Of course, the natural thing would be to ask Sara Harvey what her husband's diagnosis is, but that wouldn't work in this case because Sara Harvey is denied her husband's medical records - or even knowledge of his medical conditions -- and she is denied any input regarding his care, by his court-appointed guardian.

Sounds too outrageous to be happening in America, doesn't it?

And yet it is.

I wonder if Rita Gould's parents are living and if she's ever given a thought to how it would feel to be denied all knowledge and information about their condition -- and be treated as a criminal instead of a daughter. Bet she'd think that was an unfair and cruel thing to do if it happened to her.

But, it's not happening to her; it's happening to Gary and Sara Harvey so Rita Gould rationalizes her participation in the abuse of Gary Harvey away.

The thing is -- and I mean this for Rita Gould -- the thing is you're not fooling anybody. We, the people, know what you're doing is wrong and no matter how you rationalize your mistreatment of Gary Harvey and his wife, it's still mistreatment.

And in the stillness and darkness of night, when you lay your head on your pillow, your conscience tells you it's wrong too.

Anonymous said...

A victory for Gary Harvey, big or small, is a victory we can all celebrate.

The longer Chemung County holds on to Gary Harvey, the more transparent their motives become.

The tidal wave of outrage is growing!

Anonymous said...

Glad Sara won one of her battles.