Right to Die Issue

This Friday Dr. Jack Kevorkian will be freed from a Michigan prison that he's been at for the last 8 years for second-degree murder in the poisoning of a man with Lou Gehrig's disease, I paraphrase from Yahoo.com article on the matter. Many people have strong opinions about this, about assisted suicides for the terminally ill. Should they be allowed to end their suffering, should doctors and nurses help, should it be legal?

There are many questions and there are many sides to this issue, but I don't think anyone who hasn't been through an illness that could be terminal or is terminal knows what it is like.

I have, I was diagnosed 8 years ago with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and at the time they gave me about a 15% chance of living. I was 24 years old and had my whole life ahead of me. The first hospital (the one where I was diagnosed) didn't even think they could or should do anything, they told my family that there might not be anything that we can do for her now. I was stage 4 with a tumor the size of a basketball in my chest, my heart was engorged from fluids, my left lung was collapsed and filling with fluids as well, they were able to get the fluids out and thank goodness they did because I probably wouldn't have made the weekend if they didn't. Luckily we found a better hospital and a better doctor to treat me and because of my doctor and my will power to live I am here today to talk about it.

But that is another story, this post is about my feelings with assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Now I don't know much about Dr. Kevorkian I know he was a doctor that believed in helping people who wanted to die peacefully rather then painfully because of a terminal disease. I know that he did this and was convicted of murder because of it, even though it was the wishes of his patient. Do I agree with what he did or how he did it, I don't know. All I know is if my cancer had become terminal if there was absolutely no hope I would want to live out the rest of my life peacefully and when it became apparent that I would be riddled with pain and suffering I would want to be given medication to let me slip into the night and go to a better place.

When you come as close to death as I did, you start to really think about your own mortality and what you have accomplished so far. I was a fighter still am, but there was a time when I was in so much pain and so weak that I wanted to give up, now I don't think that calls for ending my life. I was lucky I had great friends and family around me to help me, to support me and a friend that I met while going through treatment that was going through the EXACT same thing as I was so we had each other to say, this too shall pass.

But I tell you, if they had said, we can do no more for you and it was just a waiting game, I would do everything in my power to live, but when the time came that I could no longer live a well life, I would want to be euthanized, we put our pets to sleep when they are in pain, why can't we do that for others who are suffering so much. I do not want to be on life support and have machines keep me alive, I do not want to feel pain and live like a vegetable because I'm doped up so much that I have no real awareness of what is going on around me. I think that a person who is ready to die and who is suffering should be allowed to die the way they want to die.

I do not believe in suicide and I do not believe that just anyone who is going through something hard should be allowed to die. I think that is a completely different situation, if there is hope to get better then no you shouldn't be allowed to die, you should fight and fight hard. But if there is nothing else but pain and suffering and imminent death then I believe you should go peacefully with drugs, I also think doctors and nurses should be involved so it is done properly. I know some might use the religious aspects to debate this, but I know in my heart that God was with me and so were my angels watching over me during my illness and I do not believe that he would want me to suffer to feel that kind of pain.

This is only my opinion from my experience and I welcome any feedback or comments but please be nice.