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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2003)
novambei 21. 2003 • |M t m m!TT!r7n!nnetvsbrie/s Continued from Page 11 received third-quarter 2003 grants that added up to $166,000. So far this year the foundation has awarded $ 379,100 to 79 charitable organizations in Oregon. W hite Bird, a nonprofit founded in July 1997 hy gay men Walter Jaffe and Paul King, received $ 15,000 to bring world-renowned dance troupes to Oregon. T he grant will fund outreach performances hy acclaimed choreographer Paul Taylor in April 2004 at nontraditional venues such as hospitals, AIDS hospices, retirement communities and fire and police stations. For more information visit wum.1. pgcfowuLititm.org. T eam T ennis S hares the L ove ) ortland Team Tennis presented $400 and $500 checks Nov. 16 to three charities serv ing people with H1V/A1DS. T he money was raised at the 1 5th Rose C ity O pen tournam ent, which was held during Labor Pay weekend. This year’s recipients were Esther’s Pantry, which provides food and personal care items to low income people; O ur House of Portland, a residential care facility; and W om en’s Intercom m unity A ID S Resource, which offers guidance and counsel ing, advocacy, education, peer programs, pre vention and referrals. 1 Front row from left, Ray Scott of Team Tennis presents checks Nov. 16 to Dave Dishman of Esther’s Pantry, Denise Blair of W om en’s Intercom m unity A ID S Resource and Tricia Bergman of O u r H ouse of Portland Team Tennis meets from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sundays at U niversity of Portland. All levels of experience are welcome, and first-timers play for free. For outre mformatum call 503-735-9058 or 503-282-7210. To sign u[t as a sponsor call 360-576-0590 or e-mail rayscottvuK&yahoo.com. G ay M a n ' s D eath U nderscores F amily C onflict , B udget C uts L ess than two days after being removed from life support hy order of a court-appointed guardian, a Portland gay man died Nov. 18 at Adventist Medical Center. Douglas K. Schm idt, 37, suffered a massive epileptic seizure March 1. Unconscious and severely hrain-damaged, he spent the next 8 1/2 m onths in three Portland hospitals, a N ortheast Portland adult care facility and a nursing home in Vancouver, Wash. Medical expenses are projected to total near $1 million, largely assumed hy the state, which in February ended coverage of his $13-a-day epilepsy drug because of budget cuts. Conflict among Schm idt’s family members led a Multnomah County judge in September to appoint Nancy P ity as the m an’s guardian. After consulting with family members and health care staff, P ity reported to the court, “It has been determined hy medical professionals that Pm glas Schmidt will not recover his neu rological functions that allow him to express himself as a person.” Greg Schmidt told The Oregtmuin that his brother experienced numerous life-threatening William Findlay & Associates, LLC Insurance and Business Consulting “People lived to ask themselves, ‘It hot do I want my life to he like 2(1 years from now?' They need to set a goal. They need to determine how to get there. They need to talk to those who can help them get there.” — Bill F in d lay LADDS ADDITION REMODEL $274,900 5hd * dciV 2ha w/ 1.401 sq ft. Remodeled kitchen and haths. w/ lull basement. 5 min to downtown! LUXURY CONDO! $111,500 Open floor plan with fireplace, eating hor. and garage parking. En joy the luxury of the Quintet just oft West Burnside whether it's from your personal Deck or Poolside at the Clubhouse. 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Despite a “dissenting o p in io n ” hy Kith Schm idt’s sister Stephanie W ight and his part ner, W erth Sargent, P ity asked that Schm idt’s life support he discontinued, allowing him to die. Wight and Sargent went to court Nov. 17 for a restraining order that would restore life support, hut M ultnom ah C ounty Circuit Judge K atherine Tennyson found “no reason to change the decision that has been made." According to The Oregimian, Sargent called the decision to withdraw life support cruel, say ing: “If G od makes the decision, th at’s one thing. This wasn’t G od." W ight said, "Some- Nxly is killing somehiKly, and it’s not right.’’ The conflict surrounding Schm idt’s medical care illustrates a challenge common among sex ual minorities when a family member’s wishes are not known or honored regarding health care in the event of incapacitation. “This family has been absolutely traumatized hy this whole experience, hut a lot of the trauma came from within the family," P ity said. “If you have specific wishes, you had better put them in writing, or you may get stuck with a guardian who may he a very unpopular person." Schmidt died in the company of seven fami ly members and friends, including his mother, Sandra Wierzha of Murrieta, Calif. "This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done," she told The Associated Press. “I talked to myself all night long, and it’s the right thing for P lu g .’’ J H Compiled hy J im R aiw sta and T imothy K rause * |13
