Stage A: Physical Handicaps

Nov.23/1980
Tracy Latimer born with severe cerebral palsy. This is not a genetic defect but is due to critical oxygen deprivation at birth. Total body involvement: spastic quadriplegic and 'general' or full brain damage. CP is not a stable condition but increasingly degenerative. Mental age capacity judged as 'set' about four-five months. All reports showed that the Latimers were loving and caring parents.

1980
At four months, her convulsions became continuous, preventing sleep. With drugs (Rivitrol), these seizures were reduced to five or six a day. The drugs suppress voluntary and involuntary muscle action and induce lethargy, further depressing vital functions already damaged by the disease: lungs and respiration, digestive system.

Unable to walk, talk, swallow food (throat had to be massaged to activate swallowing reflex), frequent vomiting, chronic respiratory problems. The ongoing irregular brain signals prompted muscle responses leading to severe muscle atrophy and tension.

1984
First surgery to release tension and pain caused by degenerating abductor muscles in groin area. Result: lessening of muscle tension in left leg; onset of unrestrained 'spring' in right leg and pain from this motion. Lost ability to kick legs/roll over. It was at this stage that the CP-induced degeneration of her body moved into a stage generating continuous pain. Pain became a serious problem.

Painkillers: could not go beyond regular Tylenol for more powerful painkillers would, in combination with her anti-seizure and anti-convulsant drugs - whose function is to suppress muscle movement - further suppress muscle reflexes and inhibit respiration. Giving her anything stronger than regular Tylenol would have rendered her comatose and requiring hospitalization with life support.

1984-1990
Scoliosis (curvature of spine) developed to 50 degrees off perpendicular. Hip dislocation. Problems with eating, vomiting as spine and vital organs compressed by pressure from scoliosis curvature. Seizures increase, leading to further muscle atrophy as muscles pulled away from the bone.

1990
Second surgery to relieve muscle tension, distribute strain and alleviate pressure on hips to deal with ongoing body degeneration and pain and potential hip dislocation. Pain killers: only regular Tylenol.

1992
Scoliosis continued resulting in curving spine to 75% off perpendicular affecting vital organs.
Third surgery of 8 hours to place two stainless steel rods on each side of her spine. The two steel L-shaped rods were tied with wires to her spine and the lower end of each 'L' was inserted into drilled holes in her pelvic bones. As with the second surgery, the results of this medical treatment relieved muscle compression and bone pressure only for a few months. Only pain relief - regular Tylenol.

Stage B: Physical Agony

1992
Pain, which became a matter of grave concern in 1984, became an increasingly acute concern after the third major surgery. The steel rods made her body rigid and there were few positions in which her body could rest; pressure sores; right hip partially dislocated. Great pain, problems sleeping, resting. Only pain relief-regular Tylenol.

Right hip became fully dislocated. In severe pain. More surgery would leave her in extreme pain as surgery could not simply put the hip back in place. X-rays showed that the ball joint in her hip was too badly eroded to permit successful reconstruction. One of the bolts in the pelvis protruded into the hip. Postoperative period would leave her in incredible pain according to doctors and recovery could take a year.

1993
By fall of this year it was obvious to family and doctors that she was in traumatic pain. Skin on left side breaking down. Unable to sleep or rest. Increasing loss of weight. Surgery discussed but doctors were certain that her body would continue to deteriorate and require more surgery and that the surgery would not end either her ongoing physical degeneration nor her pain. Essentially, surgical intervention could no longer keep pace with the rapid degeneration of her body and its concomitant pain as her bones and organs deteriorated.

The proposed fourth surgery would have involved sawing off the upper quarter of her right leg. The surgeon testified at the trial that the operation would be excruciatingly painful and pain would continue long afterwards. Additional surgeries would be required for the rest of Tracy's life as her body progressively degenerated. Medical testimony stated that current medical technology could neither stop this degeneration, nor, importantly, deal with the physical agony caused by her body's breakdown.

Her pain increased as her body degenerated. However, the only painkiller that could be used was regular Tylenol, a mild drug that gradually loses its effectiveness over use period. Any painkiller stronger than regular Tylenol would have rendered her comotose and in hospital on life support.

Tracy's parents faced a dilemma: Parents are expected to protect their children from harm. They were facing an imminent fourth operation which would put their daughter in further medically untreatable pain. Doctors expected more operations would be required as her body continued to degenerate.

Our society is able to emotionally and conceptually handle physical disabilities but unable to deal with physical agony. We readily admit that it is illegal to torture another human being but when it is the individual's own body that is the source of pain, we are in a dilemma. When we are confronted with medically untreatable agony, we are silent, we try to ignore it or try to divert attention to a lesser medical problem.

With special thanks to Edwina Taborsky, Pat Latimer Martin and Paul Zollman, for working so carefully to complete this brief and informative outline.