This week 29 year old Brittany Maynard
decided to end her life through means of a medicine that is available
through a doctor in the state of Oregon. She began speaking for
patient rights after being diagnosed with a powerful form of brain
cancer, glioblastoma, and given six months to live. She posted a
farewell message on her Facebook page.
“Goodbye to all my dear friends and
family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with
dignity in the face of my terminal illness... the world is a
beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close
friends and folks are the greatest givers...goodbye world. Spread
good energy. Pay it forward!”
Oregon has something called the Death
With Dignity Act. If someone is terminally ill and in the right state
of mind they have the option to end their life. She had to move to
Oregon just to have the opportunity to end her life this way. She
knew what that form of cancer was gonna do to her and decided she
didn't want that or to put her family and husband through that.
“I am not suicidal. I do not want to
die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms” she said in
a blog post. On Wednesday she recorded a video message saying “If
November 2nd comes along and I've passed, I hope my family is still
proud of me and the choices I've made. If November 2nd comes along
and I'm still alive, I know that we'll still be moving forward as a
family out of love for each other, and that decision will come
later.”
I agree with her decision to end her
own life. I've been a silent supporter of those that want to end
their own lives. I say silent because I don't end up in many
conversations where assisted deaths are discussed. Who is anyone to
try and force someone to stick around longer than they want? This
isn't someone that wants to die because their boyfriend split up with
them or wants to die because they were bullied. She has a cancer that
was kicking her ass and mentioned that she noticed how bad she was
getting with each passing week.
I have seen in some comment sections
where she was called a quitter or how they were diagnosed with cancer
and given a short amount of time to live and surpassed it. Good for
you. I'm not being flippant. Good for you if you made it longer than
you were given. But that's you. And not once did I see anyone that
had her form of cancer talking. People brought up their heart issues,
other cancers, or even depression. This is one of the problems with
sharing your story. I can't relate to this woman on any level but
others think they can and act as if she was quitting on life or
giving up. No. To me she made the right decision.
If I had cancer of any kind that
required the thousands upon thousands of dollars it costs to treat it
I'm done. Goodbye, all of you. I have neither the desire nor the will
to put myself and everyone that actually loves me through that. I
call it “Old Elephant” style after hearing that when elephants
are hurt or dying they just walk away to die. It could be a myth but
I'm too busy writing this and listening to a new album to check. Rob Cantor's “Not A Trampoline” if you must know. Great album.
Besides the thousands of people online
commenting the church had to get involved because the church.
Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula who is the head of the Pontifical
Academy for Life chimed in. His part of the church handles the
ethical issues for the Catholic Church (not Chocoholic Church like my spell
check wants me to say though that sounds sinfully delicious).
“We don't judge people, but the
gesture in itself is to be condemned. Assisted suicide is an
absurdity. Dignity is something different than putting an end to your
own life. Killing yourself is not a good thing; it's a bad thing
because it says no to life and to all that means in relation to our
duty in the world and to those close to us.”
So let me get this straight. Brittany
Maynard should choose to spend whatever time she has left on this
planet wasting away while her family watches or getting treatment
that will do nothing but possibly prolong her suffering at best or
make her even worse? Yeah. That makes sense to no one. Everything he
said is nonsense to me. His first statement is a lie and everything
after the beautiful white noise of religion that only makes sense to
people who question nothing they are told.
If someone wants to cash their chips
that is on them. Let them deal with whatever spiritual ramifications
that come with it if any. I say just make sure it isn't messy and
that no one is left holding the check when you do your ultimate dine
and dash into the afterlife. We live in a world that has become way
contradictory in that we tell people to be individuals but when they
are they are lambasted for it. It is very “Do what you want as long
as what you want is what I want as well.”
I would hate to see one of my family
members or friends forcing themselves to stick around rotting away
because they thought that I would be upset if they wanted to go
sooner than expected. As sad as it must be for her husband, family,
and friends that she is gone at least they got to spend time with her
that was as quality as it was going to get.
Click here for previous What People
Care About This Week.
No comments:
Post a Comment