My brother in law was diagnosed with cancer a little over one year ago. This weekend he ended up in the ER for pain due to that cancer. Today I find out that he is going to be stopping treatments and wants to stay at home until the end. He only wants the pain to subside.
He is one day younger than me.
Don't get me wrong on this, I can understand that everyone has a point where enough is enough. I get that. I just have to wonder if this is giving up or giving in. And there is a difference.
I have some pretty deep thoughts on this myself since it is hitting so close to home here. I don't know if I could have gone through the things he has. Personally if I were to receive the news that he did, I would probably go out and live out my days doing those things that I have always dreamed about instead of trying to extend my life out further. That is very much a personal issue though and I don't really have anyone that is close to me that would suffer if I were to 'up and away' for any extended periods either.
In some ways I wonder if I am full of crap too. Situations change and people still confound me with how they aren't really all that predictable. Just when you think you know someone, they turn around and you realize that they aren't all that you thought they were OR they end up being far more than you expected.
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2 comments:
I'm a supporter of the Hemlock Society. If you are terminal, and you are going to drag the family down financially and emotionally, then I think the thing to do is go out with some dignity while you are still "you." My brother in law recently died of a brain tumor, did not take this route, and it was an absolute horror. Of course, you can only guess at what you would do in such a situation, because once it happens to you odds are your perspective may be different.
My wife fought for three years before the pain was to great to bare.
I guess each one of us has to make the choice in the end.
God Bless
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