A number of years ago, my 94 year old mother was hospitalized. Otherwise in reasonably good general health for her age, she was diagnosed with a condition in which a muscular, membraneous growth had strangled her small intestine.
Eventually, her doctors told her children (there were 5 of us, all present) that only surgery would give her a chance to live, giving her only a 1 in 100 chance without it. During her last periods of awareness, before she lapsed into a coma, she had stated her wishes to me and my siblings that she did not want surgery, that if it was God's will that she die, so be it.
My siblings wanted to honor my mother's wishes, and let her go in peace. I held out, because I knew she was a strong person, with an indomitable will, and believed she should have every chance to live, if possible. I was quite aware at the time that this would contravene her stated wishes.
My siblings eventually acceded to my position, and they did the surgery. Although it was considered successful by the attending surgeons, her heart proved to be not up to the strain, and she died about 72 hours later.
I post this only because family decisions of life and death are always so difficult, so personal, and often, so controversial. |
