Re: End of Life Decision Making

Thanks for this, Paul! It seems me that, if left to the state/church,
individuals tend to get worse treatment & less dignity than we give
our pets. Ironic indeed that many of us are more able to be humane to
our animal friends than our human friends.

I seem to be getting a message today about my recent decision to place Mom
under Hospice care instead of exposing her to aggressive treatments. First,
it was finding a movie on TV today where a cancer patient doesn't want chemo
& radiation, because he wanted *quality" life instead of more time. Then,
on the Tender group, the subject was brought up. Finally, I check in here,
and a couple more people are discussing this subject when facing a major
health crisis. Perhaps all these things combined were meant to reassure me
not to feel guilty about the decision to place my Mom in Hospice care. She
is 86 and has serious Dementia and major health issues. Glad you told us
about your friend, Paul. Nanny"OldGoat" <oldgoatm...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:p_Kxj.9305$Dz4.470@xxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Paul,

Sorry to hear about your friend, but she did the right way, with dignity
and surrounded by friends and love, while she could appreciate it. Dying
of cancer pain, raging throughout your body, then planting it under a
marker that says "Rest in Peace" is the ultimate in hypocrisy, when one
could go out like your friend and "Remain in Peace." The last gift your
friend left you was a piece of herself in good spirits and camaraderie and
love. It's going to take a while to fill up that empty spot from that
piece of you she took along with her. But her gift will grow to fill that
spot.

Sorry again for your loss--og

--
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by people with chronic pain.
join in at:http://paynehertz.blogspot.com

"Paul T. Holland" <pholl...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:47C71150.3BF00AD8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[full disclosure: an old friend recently chose to draw life to a close -
she had a rare and untreatable condition that caused her entiree
intestinal tract to undergo systemic change and tissue overgrowth that
was slowly shutting down all ability to eat, drink, or absorb nutrition.

her life might have been sustained for another year or two had she
elected to have a series of gastric tube implants - but they would have
failed one after another as the tissue changes advanced

she decided that to undergo such, and only gain another year or so was
not any way to live - and went into hospice care instead. after
withdrawing any form of tube nutrition, she passed quitely in her sleep
last week; at home, with her family - as she wished.

all of us in the circle that she called 'friend' had private moments
during those few weeks before she passed - talking and laughing with her
about - oh, just anything. there was no pain, nor sorrow -

in her view, she was about to embark upon the greatest adventure
unknowable to any of us in advance -
what lies ahead after we die?]

as to the post:

imo - this is a specific instance of the debate that has gone on since
time immemorial

who gets to decide when enough is enough? should anyone get to make such
a decision?

one either believes that only the 'individual' has that right, or you
don't.

specifically:

the individual may or may not have been depressed - a supposition on
your part -

for discussion let us posit that they were or had been

whether there was or was not depression prior has no actual bearing on
the conditons that came to apply after the cancer diagnosis - as it
stands with the concurrent diagnosis itnow clearly falls within the law,
and with such, the 'prior' request became moot.

thus, all palliative care practioners have a legal obligation to follow
the written directive of the individual, and may not allow family or
friends wishes to supercede those of the individual

so to, do family members have to wrestle with the decisions their loved
one make. would it have been legal to 'assist' the individual in
obtaining such a pill?

not as such [directly obtaining a pill under false premises] in the
united states - but in some states, and some other countries, with a
doctors partnership, yes.
cite:

http://www.euthanasia.com/bystate.html
[note: oregon's death with dignity law was upheld by the u.s. supreme
court]

http://www.assistedsuicide.org/suicide_laws.html

ironjustice wrote:

Now the fact he asked for a killpill BEFORE the diagnoses of cancer
would lead one to believe there is a question of DEPRESSION .. in
the .. scenario .. ?
The fact they would let a depressed person starve to death is .. in my
mind .. unacceptable.

Is this the take of just .. me .. ?

If the cancer .. kills him .. fine.

But .. starvation .. ?

Who loves ya.
Tom

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