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After 55 days of forced separation, Bob and Mary Schindler were allowed a one-hour visit Sunday with their daughter, Terri, the 40-year-old, brain-disabled Florida woman who is being kept in virtual seclusion by order of her estranged husband, Michael Schiavo.
"It was wonderful; I couldn't believe it," Mary told WorldNetDaily. "I just put my arms around her and hugged and kissed her, and she really looked good."
Mary said that when they arrived at the scheduled time, 1 p.m, Terri was dressed and sitting upright in her special "geri" chair, and seemed as happy to have her parents visit as they were to be with her.
"She was so excited to see us," Mary exclaimed. "She laughed and she cried, and she tried so hard to talk I think she even said 'uh huh,' twice. She kept following me back and forth with her eyes, and it was like she was saying 'please, don't leave.'"
Terri tried to respond verbally to her father as well. "Bob would talk to her and she'd listen, then she'd try to answer him," Mary said.
During their visit, the Schindlers were able to check a matter that has caused them considerable concern: Terri's health, particularly her teeth.
The last news they received regarding their daughter's health was in April, by way of a fax from one of Schiavo's attorneys to an attorney of theirs explaining that Terri had had five teeth extracted on an unspecified date in mid-April. No details were given, and there has been no news about her health since then.
The Schindlers discovered that the five extracted teeth included two upper left molars that had broken off and a third molar next to them, and two lower left molars.
They also learned Terri was being given an antibiotic, but Schiavo would not allow the nursing staff to tell them why.
They remained a little over an hour, and Terri was alert for about half that time "then she just shut down like she normally does," Mary said. "But she came back up in the last 10 minutes as we were getting ready to leave," she added.
Visitors barred
The Schindlers have not seen Terri since March 29, when their son-in-law who as Terri's legal guardian has absolute control over her barred all visitors pending completion of a police investigation after marks, said to resemble "puncture wounds," were allegedly found on her arms following a 45-minute visit by the Schindlers at Park Place assisted living facility in Clearwater where she has been living since mid-December.
The ban on visitation was kept firmly in place even on Easter and Mother's Day, and the desperate parents wondered if they'd ever see their beloved daughter again.
Their hopes were raised on May 14 when police released the results of a lengthy investigation, which concluded Terri did not suffer "puncture wounds" or other physical abuse.
"The Clearwater Police Department found no evidence of criminal activity, no indication of attempted criminal activity, and no harm done to Mrs. Schiavo," said Police Chief Sid Klein in a statement announcing the cased was now closed.
The Schindlers were completely exonerated.
That evening, they drove from their Gulf Port home to Park Place, hoping and expecting to see their daughter, but not sure they'd be allowed. It turned out their fears were justified. Despite their being completely cleared of allegations, Schiavo still refused to allow his in-laws to visit his wife, though he did not inform them directly.
Upon arriving at Park Place, they waited anxiously outside the door of their daughter's room while the nursing supervisor telephoned Schiavo for instructions.
Without any explanation, he told the supervisor to tell them no.
