CRISIS AT RAE – CAROL GEER TRAGEDY
It was
supposed to be routine surgery. Carol Geer, wife of Revolution Against
Evolution TV Co-Host Rich Geer and sister to host Doug Sharp, was to have
surgery to repair diverticulitis in her colon. The morning of
At this
writing, Carol is still in a coma. The doctors said that the amount of damage
on a scale from 1 to 4 was a 4. This is very serious. On August 10, she was breathing
on her own and was moved out of critical care. She opens her eyes and appears
to track people, but other responses are minimal. Today she stuck out her
tongue when somebody asked her to do it, and that is a good sign.
Carol and
her husband Rich are a huge part of the life of the Christian community in
HOPE MAY
COME WITH A TREATMENT CONSISTENT WITH CREATION THEORY
Creationists
have known about hyperbaric oxygen treatment for many years, and have been
experimenting with it, so it was no surprise when we learned that doctors have
been treating people with global cerebral ischemia anoxia and reviving them out
of a persistive vegetative state, many of them to lead normal lives again. The
treatment consists of putting them in a chamber where the atmospheric pressure
is raised and the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is heightened. This
forces additional oxygen into the bloodstream and it has been shown to cause
neurons to regenerate. The doctor who is pioneering this work is Dr. Neubauer
at the
Many
creationists postulate that the earth's atmosphere was much like this before
Noah's flood, and at the Garden of Eden. This would have allowed people to live
over 900 years and creatures to grow to large size. This is why Dr. Carl Baugh
is conducting HBO tests on animals in his hyperbaric chamber, and other creationists
are experimenting with it.
Though most
neurologists have been taught that brain cells do not regenerate, the experts
in HBOT disagree, and have double-blind studies showing otherwise. Because this
is considered 'alternative" medicine, it is doubtful that insurance will
pay for it. We expect that it will take $20,000 or more to move Carol to
Dr.
Neubauer's patients typically come to the clinic as a last resort, more than a
year after the incident. After we called the clinic, they marveled that we
called them so soon. This gives them an opportunity to test their treatment
just weeks after the incident occurred instead of years. We are heartened to
know that patients have responded to the treatment even after years in a
persistive vegetative state.
It is also
a forced opportunity, however unwelcome it is, for us at Revolution Against
Evolution to scientifically test and prove to ourselves a theory based upon
pure Biblical creationist principles.
TESTS OF
FAITH AND OUR RESOLVE TO FOLLOW THE LORD
Many of us
watched the case of Terri Schiavo and the battle to save her life early in
July, and the controversy that followed.
I
personally wish that I had followed the case a bit more closely, as our family
is now faced with these kinds of decisions. The day after this disaster
occurred, the doctor presented us with the possible decisions we might have to
make. Do we ask him to aggressively treat Carol and revive her if her heart
stops again? If she develops an infection or pneumonia, do we want him to allow
her to die? The unanimous agreement of the family was to fight for her life.
Next we are
faced with the problem of loss of her income and what it means to the family,
and to the community she served. Carol had two jobs. Besides her day job, she
was employed by the church as the music director. This has taken a toll on
Rich, and has cut into his time off. It has also caused us to cancel a
Prayer for Carol Geer is being conducted by friends all over the world. We also pray that in the end, our actions will endure this test in a manner that is honorable toward the Lord.
Carol has a web site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carolgeer. Donations may be made on-line at http://www.newleafpublishinggroup.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Persuaded+by+the+Evidence&osCsid=f52755f915d2dc1dca9f4196046bdf5d&x=13&y=7.
You may have received e-mails from Carol. If so, you’ll recall her motto, always at the bottom of every message:
“Look for the need and meet it before I am asked to.”
Now, in the case of Carol and her family, you don’t have to look far. You’ve already seen it. Family members and I have communicated it daily since the tragedy of July 21st.
Your opportunity to help Carol financially is now here. You may now send your checks to the
Carol Geer Amenities Trust
2785 Still Valley Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
The trust is a medical care account with its own tax ID number. It is not tax deductible. All gifts will be accounted for by way of annual reporting.
UPDATE 10/1/2005
Friends of the Geer family raised over $12,000 for Carol's medical expenses. An emotional group of about 40 people gathered at the Lansing airport where Volunteers of Mercy pilots helped Carol and Rich board a corporate jet taking them to Ft. Lauderdale.
Previous to this, Rich faced a roller coaster of ups and downs. The first obstacle was that they would not release Carol for the trip if she still had a tracheostomy tube in place, helping her to breathe on her own. Two weeks ago, the nurses didn't think she was ready to have it removed. But that day, after a church member prayed for her, that decision was reconsidered, and it was out that same day.
Next after she was moved to the rehab center, Rich got a letter from the insurance company telling him that the rehab treatment was ineligible for the insurance. Rich was a basket case until he found out later that the letter was in error. At the same time there was worry that Carol had an infection that would prevent her from going. That also proved to be a non-problem.
Finally
Carol is at the treatment center. Now is the final test and hope.
Carol had 80 hyperbaric oxygen treatments in Florida, and Rich spent a month
with her in Florida staying with his brother in Ft. Lauderdale. The hyperbaric
oxygen treatments brought her out of a coma state into a state where she is
alert and aware of people, able to move her head and look at people. The brain
scan also showed a change to the better. However, Rich ran out of money and
vacation time, and he had to bring Carol back to Lansing where she has spent
all this year in a nursing home. While he was there, he also had to endure the
ravages of Hurricane Wilma.
Carol still has no control of her limbs and cannot speak. She makes crying noises when she recognizes people. Her hands and feet have been a particular problem as they are contracted in toward her body, a result of the brain damage. At the first of the year, she was admitted to the hospital again, as her hands were so tight it caused her thumb to be broken and raw sores broke out on her hand where they had chafed together.
The hospital stay is looking like a godsend, as the nursing home seemed to do only the minimum amount to keep her going. Rich had been continually badgering the doctors to do something about her hands, but the red tape seemed insurmountable. Now that she is in the hospital, the doctor is going to order botox treatments for her hands so that it will relieve the contractions. In addition, they are going to try to get her into a nursing home that is specific for treating brain damage. We are lucky, I guess, to still have Carol with us, according to the nurse.
Another person in the Lansing area has his wife in a similar condition, and he has bought a hyperbaric oxygen unit. He has offered Rich the use of it for Carol’s condition. We will begin daily treatments soon.