'There is no way I could do anything else'

This is a very sad column by Mary Mitchell. This touches on the Terry Schiavo issue. At least this time the woman in question has a man who cares about her. They have four children and they're alumni of Morehouse and Spelman. They are involved in the arts and I admire that.

Unfortunately the issue has to be what to do for his wife who miscarriage in November of last year and remains in a coma. While he wants to give her a chance to survive the unfortunate thing about medical care is that it cost. This is what the husband Philip Thomas said about the feeding tube for his wife Ama:

"The Schiavo thing for me was a little atypical in that a lot of discussion seemed to be around the pressure to keep her alive as though that is what happens," Phillip said. "Having been in five different hospitals and seeing other families, the pressure is not to keep the feeding tube in, it is actually to take it out. Everything is based on cost containment for the insurance companies."

That is terrible and while I may not trust government health care one still have to worry about costs. Look at this other quote...

"I always assumed that medical care and health care was about trying everything possible to cure someone," Phillip said. "It doesn't seem that is the calculus. The calculus is what is medically necessary. From the insurance company's standpoint, it is about cost containment and the minimal thing we can do."

I wish I can help this couple and I do wish them the best. I hope Ama gets better. But this column does provide an address if you want to donate any money for Ama's care. So here's the information...

Friends of the Thomases have started the "Ujima for Ama Fund."

You can contribute by sending a check c/o The Black United Fund of Illinois, 1809 E. 71st St., Chicago, IL 60649. BUF is a 501(c)3 organization founded on the principles of self-help, mutual aid and volunteerism.

Here's the column.