The lighter side of life – staying in touch with friends and family by celebrating the ordinary.
Compassion for those who are suffering
I try not to be political on this blog and for me, this isn’t about politics, this is about cancer.
The level of suffering people have to endure as they die of cancer is unbelievable. Until I got cancer I had no idea how awful it was. No idea at all. I didn’t have any comprehension. Now I can’t believe society forces those who are dying of cancer to live through every last horrible painful moment.
When it’s my turn to die, I want to be able to work with my doctors and have some control over the process of when and how I die. Right now in most states the doctors aren’t allowed to help their patients with that. They can give pain medicine, but trust me, at the end, the pain medicine doesn’t work anymore. The doctors have to give you so much that you’re completely knocked out and it still doesn’t work.
I’ve been watching some of my new friends die of cancer and the doctors are so unable to do anything helpful. Not only is it intensely painful, but you can die struggling for breath for days, overwhelmed with fear and helplessness. Can you imagine slowly suffocating to death over days or weeks while your whole body is screaming in pain? Would you force someone to have to go through that?
How can society tell me that I have to go through something like that? I can’t comprehend how cruel and invasive that is. I would never wish such cruelty on the most evil person in the world. So why does society think that I deserve to suffer like that? Why do they think they can decide what I have to go through at the end of my life? Who do they think they are – to think they can force me with their laws to suffer what they cannot even comprehend?
I’m going to die when I’m ready. Believe me, I’ll make it happen. But please help us change the laws so we can legally have our friends and family and doctors at our side helping us, so we don’t have to face this final act alone.
This next excerpt is specifically for those of you in New Mexico, because we have a Senate vote coming up this week. I’m sure the rest of you in other states can find the info you need at https://compassionandchoices.org/.
Here’s for New Mexico:
We expect that Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act (HB 47)—which would authorize medical aid in dying—will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee for its final committee vote as soon as this weekend or early next week.
The next stop would be the Senate floor, and then Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk. The governor has indicated that she will sign the bill, which means these next two votes are absolutely critical.Please email your Senator today. Even if you’ve already reached out, we need you again now to keep pace for passage by the end of session (March 20).
If your lawmakers already support the bill, you’ll see a prompt to thank them. If they haven’t yet, you’ll be asked to urge them to advance the bill. Please consider adding your personal story of support to any and all messages.
Please click the link and fill out your info, it only takes a second. There’s an optional spot for telling your story if you want. In New Mexico they may vote as early as the end of this week, so please do it now.
And then make sure you’re up-to-date on your cancer screenings. I’ve told you before and I’m going to tell you again: getting a colonoscopy done is like a walk in the park, it’s like a happy day in the sunshine, it’s nothing compared to cancer. If you’re afraid of one little brief bout of diarrhea and then a quick trip to the clinic, let me tell you, you have no idea what cancer does to a person. I would do a colonoscopy every single week for the rest of my life to avoid what I went through as a cancer patient. I’d have naked diarrhea in Central Square sooner than going through what I went through last year. Graphic? No, no, not even. Not compared to cancer.
Don’t imagine you’re immune. And as I told you before, I had no warning symptoms. Most of the time you can’t feel or see cancer until it’s really bad. Also, by the way, a colonoscopy isn’t just a screening for cancer. During the procedure they remove any polyps that could eventually become cancer. You don’t want those things left in there. Go and get them taken out.
And help pass some compassionate laws for those of us who are less lucky. Please.
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