Palliative care is a valuable role, making death easier to face…but for some it isn’t enough.
“What I’m worried about is how I’m going to die,” said Dr. Donald Low, infectious disease specialist (the 2003 SARS expert) who advocated for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in the days before his death last week (on September 18th 2013).
(He died with a brain stem tumor, at the age of 68…seven months after diagnosis.)
“Will I be paralyzed? Am I going to have to be carried from the bathroom to the bed? Am I going to have trouble swallowing and won’t be able to take in food? … What the end is going to look like…that’s what’s bothering me the most. … I’m not afraid of dying. I could make that decision tomorrow. I just don’t want to be a long protracted out process where I’m unable to carry out my normal bodily functions and talk with my family and enjoy the last few days of my life.”
In his Globe and Mail obituary, the family asked, “In tribute to Don, please advocate for the legalization of assisted dying in Canada.”
(Assisted suicide…death with dignity…is illegal in Canada.) Perhaps that will change…especially after hearing Dr. Low’s dying thoughts.
His wife said Donald believed doctor assisted-suicide should only be provided as an option under specific regulations: the presence of a terminal illness verified by multiple doctors – including a psychiatrist who can assess that the person is mentally capable of making the decision — and that the patient has to be able to take the medication themselves.
What do you think?
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My Friend
Read an excerpt now
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