Terry Shivo Impact

Well Terry Shivo passes away yesterday. Not to be callous or insensitive but I am glad her suffering is done.

I feel bad for both sides of the battle. Mostly for her husband however. From all reports, and I must admit I did not follow the story closely, He was trying to do his wife's wishes. He was prevented from doing so by years and years of court battles, which, I am sure, did not help him financially. The family was dragged out into public view to be judged and ridiculed on what should have been a very personal matter. A matter between Husband and wife. A husband who probably sacrificed greatly over 14 years with basically a brain dead wife, caring for her, with little hope, and eventually NO hope of recovery. It was probably very difficult, even still, for him to "pull the plug"

Terry's blood family also suffered I am sure. They desperately wanted to hold on to hope Terry would somehow miracuously gain some level of herself. And when it comes down to it the reality of removing the feeding tube is literally starving / dehydrating a person to death. A desturbing thought at best. It must be a hard thing to have to watch your child go through that. Who knows if Terry was conscious of any of it. From what I understand, pretty much the only section of her brain that was functioning was those parts responsible for keeping her alive. She may not have known/felt a thing.... but who knows for sure.

One good thing has come of the circus created by the controversy. Many of my friends and co-workers are talking about it. There is dialog, discussion etc. AND folks are doing what they can to prevent their family from going through similar battles. Living wills are becoming the topic of the day.

Personally I do not have an official living will yet. Something I should not put off any longer. But until I draw one up, I am stating here and now. I have no desire to be put on a ventilator or artificial nourishment or any other artificial form of life support for more than a couple of days, if that.

To put this statement into perspective. I do not want to live past my usefulness. My life credo is to try and be a positive in this world; Over a sliding window in time, I want produce more than I consume. Period.

If I am sitting in a hospital bed, unable to communicate, think clearly or reason, I am doing little more than using up electricity. Pull the plug. If for some reason you want to wait for family to come say goodbye. Give em 48 hours perhaps but after that....

The following statements represent a very pragmatic view, I realize, and there certainly are other factors to be considered but a very basic belief I hold is that the human body, in all it's brilliance, was never intended to last as long as what now is inflicted upon us by modern medicine. Our bodies were designed with a predefined obsolescence, much like the automobiles Detroit put out in the 70s. We can pour money and effort into keeping the car running but at some point more goes into it than comes out. Natural order is intended to provide longevity of not just one species but the universe. By living beyond our natural lifespan, as a species, we are probably upsetting the natural balance. More resources consumed, higher population, more pollution....

I realize that with our historically new found longevity, persons are being productive much later in life. I do not mean to embarrass her but look at my Mom for an example. She is approaching another decade in life but, from my perspective, in the grand scheme, she still has a positive balance sheet. While she may require more from others for her health and well being, She still provides her kids and grandkids with sage advice and encouragement, She is active in her church, A role model for other, she volunteers on behalf of the deaf in Jordan.... My point is though her role in life has changed as she has aged, as she did as a young woman, she still does what she can to improve the world.

In contrast, my biggest fear is that I will inherit Grandma's longevity genes, Dad's stubbornness, Mom's hearing issues. My back will continue to deteriorate until I am wheelchair ridden. If my mental capacity continues to deteriorate at the present rate.... I am afraid I will be a crazy coot, scaring my grandkid, and the neighbor dogs, rolling around bumping in to things, Stubbornly refusing to take my meds, and because I can not hear anyone I'll get into arguments with myself about what size Depends I should wear....

The long and short of it is that this blog is not intended to discount/dismiss or otherwise dispute other folks personal views or decisions about their life or the life of their loved ones. Quite the opposite really. The point is everyone has a different perspective and belief base. These are simply mine. If I am somehow involved in the decision making when it comes to another's last days, I will do what I can within legal an moral bounds to abide by their wishes.

AND this is by no means intended to say old people or disabled people are worthless, let them die. "I" just do not want to live past my usefulness. "I" do not want my family to suffer, mentally or financially for that matter, should I become incapacitated.

(pleasant topic huh, sorry)