Wife wants to Schiavo brain-injured husband

Brain-injured man's wife wants feeding tube pulled

...Scott Thomas suffered a brain injury in September 2004 at home that incapacitated him and left him in need of constant care, including the use of a feeding tube. ... Thomas's wife, Eliza, is seeking to have him moved to the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida Inc. as soon as his mother's temporary guardianship of the 34-year-old man ends.

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According to Patton, Scott is cognizant and able to answer correctly when asked by doctors where he lives and where he went to school. He swallows on his own, but requires a tube because of concerns over aspiration. She says he remains responsive, tracking family members as they move around his room, smiling, crying, communicating with hand signals and eyebrows and forming words with his mouth. And the story he tells about his injury is very different than the one told by his wife.

Eliza Smith ... says Scott fell backwards ... and struck his head in the kitchen. .... Scott's mother reports her son communicating to her that his injury ... was intentionally inflicted by his wife. "The doctors say that his injuries are not consistent with such a fall and believe the severe head trauma was caused by a blow to the head," Patton told Empire Journal.

Patton was awarded a six-month temporary guardianship of her son in November. A June 3 hearing will determine if decisions for Scott's care will remain with her or will be transferred to Eliza who is seeking guardianship. ...