Skip to main content

A Piece Of My Mind



Something happened last month that will be remembered as a pretty big deal someday.  It was the first time someone chose legal doctor-assisted /suicide/euthanasia without a terminal illness.  Such procedures have been legal for the terminally dying for years in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Hawaii and District of Columbia, Montana and Vermont.  Nine other states are working on passing similar legislation.   




104 year-old Australian professor David Goodall flew to Switzerland where assisted suicides are legal and ended his life to the strains of Mozart simply because he wanted to.  He wore a T-shirt reading "Aging Disgracefully" on his flight over.  

It all reminded me of when I took Missy to Dr. Joy to have her put to sleep when she had cancer.  I wanted to be with her at the end and after a sedative which relaxed her, Dr. Joy then gave her the dose that ended her suffering.  She was happy at the end as I stroked her back and whispered good bye and thanks over and over.  It was so quiet, and silent and painless.  I've had her ashes with me wherever I've been ever since.  

With news of Mr. Goodall's decision I have been pondering the differing approaches of the Medical Association and the Veterinary Code of Ethics.  The former seems hell-bent to keep one alive regardless of eventual outcome, pain or cost to the family.  A "Do Not Resuscitate" order will help just so far as many family's have discovered. 

On the other hand, the veterinary sciences seem to have it just the opposite: better to put your beloved family animal down before the painful, costly and excruciating end.  Sure, there are some people who will gladly spend hundreds and maybe even thousands for prolonging the end of life, but most of us realize that while life is good, life ends.

I envy Mr. Goodall.  At at 104 he was a relatively healthy man.  He wasn't able to get around well and his doctors started to encroach on his enjoyment of what he had left so he decided to throw in the towel.  He spent a week with family, listened to his favorite classical music and went to sleep just like Missy.  If he had stayed in Australia he would have been put through much more pain, quality and life, and even maybe quite some time wasting away in a nursing home bed.  

The vets have it right and maybe someday it will be commonplace to empower ourselves with our final act.  There is no disgrace in us humans having as peaceful and painless exit as possible.   Maybe someday, as the arc of history progresses, humans will look upon our societal norms with as much sad curiosity as we look on the Medieval Age. 

We should all go as well as Missy and Mr. Goodall.            

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida.  There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife.  In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride.  He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much.   He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A.   But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here.  If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying.  He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed.  No...
1 comment
Read more

Summer Swim

It's Monday and the start of another work week.  Except for me.  I have the week off because the parents of my daycare charges are taking the week off, too. This is one of those wordless posts I love on Mondays so I can put my laziness in full view of loyal readers.  These pics need no words.  Why muddy the waters?   They were taken at the pool at Sinkhole Estates aka Death Valley.  The nice thing about this pool is it is heated in winter.  If one must find positives in one's situation, I suppose that is one.  But, please, no more.   
Post a Comment
Read more