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Thinking for the Future or lack there of
Mar. 21st, 2005 08:45 amWe will probably never know what Terri told her husband about her wishes if she ended up in the persistent vegetative state. He says one thing and her parents say another. She has been in this state for 15 years. Think about where you were 15 years ago and everything that has happened since then. She hasn’t responded to stimulating since she lost oxygen to her brain due to a heart attack back in 1990. The great irony in all this was that Terri was a bulimic. She had the heart attack because she was starving herself.
I am not going to debate the right to life issues here and I ask that everyone else refrain from doing so. This is not about that. This is about what I want and what I did about it. Peter and I worked out our medical requests legally so there are documents that state our wishes very clearly. These documents are notarized and date stamped so there can be no question as to when we signed them. I want no extreme measure taken if I slip into an irreversible coma and have stated so. I have also stated that if I am in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery, I don’t want to be so. I am doing on paper what Terri’s husband says she said to him. This way there will be no question as to my wishes on this subject.
I encourage everyone to do the same no matter what you want. You don’t need a lawyer to do it. Your doctor’s office should have the paperwork for a Healthcare Proxy. Fill one out so your wishes are known including who will speak for you if you can’t. If you want to be sustained by artificial means, state it. That is your personal choice. Make sure you have the means to make your wishes know if you cannot tell anyone what you want. It is not a subject that anyone really wants to think about, but it is important to do so. Like what you want done with your remains after you die. Personally I want to be cremated and I have stated that to my husband. I know his wishes too.
I am grateful that I had these matters sorted out before Caroline was born.
I am not going to debate the right to life issues here and I ask that everyone else refrain from doing so. This is not about that. This is about what I want and what I did about it. Peter and I worked out our medical requests legally so there are documents that state our wishes very clearly. These documents are notarized and date stamped so there can be no question as to when we signed them. I want no extreme measure taken if I slip into an irreversible coma and have stated so. I have also stated that if I am in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery, I don’t want to be so. I am doing on paper what Terri’s husband says she said to him. This way there will be no question as to my wishes on this subject.
I encourage everyone to do the same no matter what you want. You don’t need a lawyer to do it. Your doctor’s office should have the paperwork for a Healthcare Proxy. Fill one out so your wishes are known including who will speak for you if you can’t. If you want to be sustained by artificial means, state it. That is your personal choice. Make sure you have the means to make your wishes know if you cannot tell anyone what you want. It is not a subject that anyone really wants to think about, but it is important to do so. Like what you want done with your remains after you die. Personally I want to be cremated and I have stated that to my husband. I know his wishes too.
I am grateful that I had these matters sorted out before Caroline was born.
