I lived with the same pain and suffering from the exact disease Tammy Wynette suffered and ultimately died from. I to was dying the same way she was at the very same time. While she lay dying in her home in April of 1999, only by a miracle was I receiving the one and only possible medical intervention that would spare me the same fate Tammy met.. she died, I was spared.. today I live and I can function, today I remain free of this disease. I am but one a very few who beat it, one of a very very few! For more years then I care to think about, I too had numerous surgeries causing massive pain and suffering.. I too walked the same road Tammy Wynette walked in her life while suffering a disease that was kept secret not only from her husband and her children, but is yet today kept a secret from the world! 

My children to wondered about the pain pills, the protectiveness of my husband, not much unlike Mr. Richey.. who in my eyes, was the Guardian Angel for Tammy in her suffering of this disease! Nothing less at aLL, and he too was a victim of this disease, family cannot be speared the suffering when this disease enters into the family. Her children and friends were all victims, and to a large degree, still are. Her fans, they to are victims as they do not understand what Tammy and Richey suffered with, no one can understand it unless you have lived it.. or live it as Chrissie Damon does and far to many others do. 

Mr. Richey does not deserve to be judged by opinions, he doesn't deserve to be judged at all neither does the family or friends, reporters, fans, as non of them have a clue as to what really happened to tammy Wynette, but I know, Chrissie Damon knows, ..the rest of the world has no clue.. and in Gods name I hope they never will have to know it through living it!
Be kind to Mr. Richey, he deserves a life now, he deserves to walk his path as he sees fit, his job of being husband, friend, guardian, medical director, advocate and protector of Tammy Wynette is finished now, she is out of pain, she is at peace.. he deserves to live as does the children. 

No person would deny a cancer victims husband what Mr. Richey is doing after they gave so much of their own life to stand by the ill and suffering spouse as diligent as he did to tammy, we would tell them to get on with life now, to live life and try to enjoy life.. recoup the parts of their life they gave in years of caring for a very ill partner.. it is no different for George Richey, no different at all. I applaud his ideas of living life and sharing it with a family once again. 

Tammy lives in a part of hs heart, as she does fans I think, I wasn't a fan per say, but of course I knew of her, who doesn't. But I did know what caused her death when I saw it on the TV news cast the evening she died, lots of us knew what she died from immediately after hearing her symptoms, we all knew.. and we all knew that the world didn't know, and we all knew that in her death, she was free of what we were still facing everyday.. and we knew then as we know today, that living with "Adhesion Related Disease" is worse then dying from it! There ARE things worse then death in this world, and tammy suffered one of them, Mr. Richey did to, as did my husband and I.

If anyone has been made judge and jury here on earth to condemn others for their actions, and that condemnation is based on what is fact based on what that judge is aware of, if it warrants public condemnation of that person, so be it! If it is based on a perceived action and the judge has NO facts of the matter, how can one be condemned for the action he has taken in his life? Mr. Richey is not to be condemned, he is to be praised, his commitment to Tammy Wynette during her suffering is so commendable! If only other spouses would be so responsible to a partner who suffer long and laboriously with ARD as Tammy did, if only other spouses were as respectful of her requests for help, hiding, medication, protection, privacy, escapes from medical facilities, responding to her medication needs, as without them, she would have suffered even worse, and that is almost unimaginable to me and probably died long before she did! If only others had the stamina and fortitude Mr. Richey had in dealing with a disease he knew no more about while going through it with Tammy then 99% of people in this world know about today! yet HE did respond to his wife's need and did not allow small minds, gossip and suspicion stand in his way of helping Tammy get through every minute of everyday while suffering worse then any person can imagine, unless you have ARD! 

I do, and I know, and I have Tammy Wynette autopsy report to prove one day that she in fact suffered from, was being treated for, and ultimately died of,  "Adhesion Related Disease!"

Do I think she could have been helped, her life saved? yes, I do! Could Mr. Richey have known that? Could the children of Tammy have known that? Could her friends in the celebrity world know that? Could her fans have known that? Could her physician, Dr. Marsh have known that? Was there anyone who could have known that there WAS high quality medical intervention available to Tammy Wynette that in all probability save her life or at least offer her that possibility? ...YES! 
There was, there is.. but " Adhesion Related Disease " is the worlds best kept medical secret and non of those mentioned above had a clue I WAS taking advantage of that very same medical intervention that was also available to Tammy Wynette... 

I do hold one person in this tragedy to blame for the unnecessary degree of suffering of Tammy Wynette, her husband George Richey, her three daughters and son, family, friends and fans.. and that IS Dr. Marsh.
He did know what her disease was, he attempted to treat it.. but he was part of this whole ignorant cover-up of this disease that exists within the medical community and he could have explained this disease, explained the symptoms, explained everything that was happening to tammy Wynette.. yet he chose not to.. as most Dr.'s do.. thus plummeting this family into this whirlwind of suffering by his silence and code of secrecy that is held in high esteem within the medical community when it comes to " Adhesion Related Disease!" 

Mr. Richey might not understand that comment, as I know he sees and appreciates the efforts of Dr. Marsh in trying to help Tammy with her suffering, but ultimately, Dr. Marsh's involvement and dishonesty about her disease, even with you Mr. Richey, in my opinion caused Tammy's death! He knew it, he tried to cover it, not her death, oh no, he didn't try to cover her death at all, what he tried to cover was WHAT caused that death... as all Dr's do when it comes to ARD! 

Mr. Richey, you get on with your life, your new family, you did good, and now its your time to live. Tammy's children will forever live with anger and confusion, and even with suspicion of your care of their mother, and that is very sad, but until they are willing to learn of Tammy's ideas and the reasons all this happened to her and you and them.. and there ARE answers for everything, they will live out their days filled with silent suffering inside just as their mother did.. and that is probably just as painful as what Tammy had from her physical disease. So sad, so avoidable! 

I wondered ever since that night I watched the news of Tammy Wynettes death if the cause of her death would be buried with her.. as many disease's have celebrity spokespeople, and I was that one who might have spoken for all of us, in her beautiful voice, her caring compassionate manner, I was watching her be buried.. yet a part of me said it wasn't over for Tammy nor us.. and today because of the confusion and suspicion surrounding her death with "ARD" because the DR. did try to cover it up dishonestly.. she speaks through her daughter, her voice sleeps now, she suffers no more, but she IS going to be a voice for others who suffer ARD.. and though she is buried and gone.. her voice will once again be heard and it will be heard for all who suffer her disease today and in the future.. 

I only pray that it will not be one of those who judge this family so harshly in what they suspect are motives for things they perceive happened and are happening in Tammy's family... you have not a clue, and I hope you never have to live it either to understand the REAL story of her life and her death! 

Thank you George Richey & Jackie Daily as what your suffering with today will bring light to others who suffer as Tammy did.. and it just might spare another family this suffering.. and it will somehow save the life of an ARD sufferer in a way Tammy's could not be saved!

I guarantee that! 
Beverly J. Doucette