They had seen her smile at funny stories, cry when a visitor left, and indicate pain with her menstrual periods. Information about Nancy's true condition was persistently blacked out, while the staff endured the nightmare of watching her die. In a horrible deja vu, another disabled woman at the Center has been selected for the same fate. Dr. Ronald Cranford, the euthanasia advocate who hopes to help Pete Busalacchi take care of Christine when she is brought to Minnesota, had a similar case in 1979. Twenty months after the shooting Mack woke up, and eventually regained nearly all his mental ability.
Similar stories recur.
Cancer patient Yolanda Blake was hospitalized last November 30 after experiencing severe bleeding. On December 15 Blake woke up. Though the coroner's report says he died of head injuries, he had lost thirty pounds during the hospitalization. The autopsy showed that he had not been given painkillers to ease the pain of starvation. Washington State Senator Ray Moore represents more clearly than most the views of those who believe the disabled should want to die.