Terminally Ill California Woman with ALS Throws One Last Party Before Ending Her Life

[Rosebud77]

Well she definitely made her death seem better than it would have been if she’d let her disease continue to run it’s course. I mean she died surrounded by friends and family celebrating her life (while still being able to participate herself). She went to sleep for good peacefully watching the sun set over the Pacific.

I mean you can’t deny it’s in many ways better than the death that awaited her paralyzed and asphyxiating to death in some hospital or hospice room after having endured a prolonged and painful suffering leading up to it. If you don’t believe in God or in the concepts of morality as Catholics and most other Christians present them with regard to the issue of assisted suicide, my own church included, in many ways it is hard to see what the downside is to what she did even without romanticizing it.

You are missing my point totally but then you often do. Sigh!

 

[Rosebud77]

Apart from the Jewish prohibition against euthanasia, whether or not (physician) assisted, I myself cannot fault this woman. I see this as a personal issue, perhaps THE most personal issue, of one’s life. Life is hard enough; must dying and death be just as hard?

Again missing the pint, WHY did she film it? Knowing it would go viral and appeal to so many?

You approve of suicide?

 

[Padres1969]

You are missing my point totally but then you often do. Sigh!

Oh I understood your point that it could lead more to follow her example. I even agree with your point as I’m sure others in her situation or similar terminal situations facing extreme pain and suffering have been considering such action and seeing that it can be done in such a manner might encourage them to go through with it.

My point was that you don’t believe in God, Christian morality (which is pretty universal in saying assisted suicide is bad), the afterlife, etc… there’s far less reason a person in that position wouldn’t consider such an end given the horrific natural death awaiting them. Suffering for suffering sake absent an eternal reward makes no sense.

As for why she publicized it the way she did, she was a performance artist by trade and believed in the right to die. Clearly she wanted to share what that meant to her with others.

 

[anon67074017]

The culture of death strikes again.:nope:

 

[Origen52]

According to the article, she doesn’t mention God at all …so I suspect she doesn’t believe in an afterlife.

I hate to say it, but life would be easier all around if there was no God. There would be very few restrictions…you would only worry about getting caught by the law for stealing, murder and lying under oath.
No worries about sexual sins, cursing, or keeping the Sabbath holy. By being accountable to God makes life a lot harder!

I know you have just said this in the heat of a very emotional thread, but think about what life without God would really be like. Humans would be like animals, no more, no less. Death would be the end of all, this life its few pleasures and many pains would be everything. And at the death of a beloved, there would be no hope of being reunited. Life without God is a nihilistic nightmare. Maybe pleasant for a few short years in your youth, but bitter and empty as your life progresses.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. Psalm 14:1

 

[Adonia]

You slowly loose all use of your body until finally it affects you lunges and you can’t breathe anymore and you then choke to death.

I am a hospice volunteer I have seen it.

I don’t know what I would do I hope I never get ALS - horrible death sentence.

I pray for her and her family.

Okay then, so what if she just stopped taking in nourishment and let nature take it’s course? Keep her pain free and if she stopped eating it would not be long before she passes from this world.

 

[Padres1969]

Okay then, so what if she just stopped taking in nourishment and let nature take it’s course? Keep her pain free and if she stopped eating it would not be long before she passes from this world.

Starvation and wasting aren’t particularly good ways to die either.

 

[truetofaith]

Okay then, so what if she just stopped taking in nourishment and let nature take it’s course? Keep her pain free and if she stopped eating it would not be long before she passes from this world.

If you stop eating isn’t that a form of suicide?

 

[Adonia]

Starvation and wasting aren’t particularly good ways to die either.

But if you are terminal which means you are already in a weakened state, how long would this really take? You would get progressively weaker day by day and some good palliative care would make things easier and hasten the end. Plus I believe certain organs would start to shut down in a cascading fashion and that would be that. The nurse told me that as my father lay dying, renal failure is not a painful way to die.

 

[Adonia]

If you stop eating isn’t that a form of suicide?

Why would it be that? You are already “terminal” and have absolutely no hope of recovering from it. What if I were paralyzed from the neck down and refused a breathing machine. Just because life prolonging machines are available, does that mean it is somehow a sin if one refuses to use them?

 

[truetofaith]

Why would it be that? You are already “terminal” and have absolutely no hope of recovering from it. What if I were paralyzed from the neck down and refused a breathing machine. Just because life prolonging machines are available, does that mean it is somehow a sin if one refuses to use them?

I’ll ask my pastor.

 

[hu324b]

Okay then, so what if she just stopped taking in nourishment and let nature take it’s course? Keep her pain free and if she stopped eating it would not be long before she passes from this world.

I am just passing on info so people truly understand - not here to justify anything or reply - I just said I have been there although the person I stuck with before they passed away did not reach that final stage - I miss this person and have suspicions about his death not with him but with his spouse which is pretty hard for me to deal with - I could never speak to her again after he passed because of my suspicion - did not go to the funeral because I could not look her in the eye knowing what I do - they had some kind of arrangement but I do know he did not want to go and she forced it - I was unaware of this and would of intervened had I known - I don’t want to live with this info but I have too Please don’t expect me to reply to your scenario - it brings back painful memory’s.

I know where he is buried maybe its time for me to go and close this part of my life.

 

[Adonia]

I am just passing on info so people truly understand - not here to justify anything or reply - I just said I have been there although the person I stuck with before they passed away did not reach that final stage - I miss this person and have suspicions about his death not with him but with his spouse which is pretty hard for me to deal with - I could never speak to her again after he passed because of my suspicion - did not go to the funeral because I could not look her in the eye knowing what I do - they had some kind of arrangement but I do know he did not want to go and she forced it - I was unaware of this and would of intervened had I known - I don’t want to live with this info but I have too Please don’t expect me to reply to your scenario - it brings back painful memory’s.

I know where he is buried maybe its time for me to go and close this part of my life.

A sad story and I feel for you and am sorry you have such pain. Such a decision should rest only with the individual who is involved in such a scenario. We went through this experience with my father and the decision was totally his. My sister and I would have done everything in our power to preserve his life if that would have been what he wanted, but he made his choice and we respected it. His life ended in a natural manner, the way it should always end.

 

[truetofaith]

I have been involved in hospice care too and the KEY is good pain control and good CARE!

Many, if not most people who are terminally ill would choose not to commit suicide if they knew their lives would ***not be painful ***this is proven!. It is pain that people fear most, pain, being alone, feeling useless, these are things that people fear and with good reason in some cases!

Good pain management, good care, being surrounded by love and support is the best that we can offer people. We have enough pain medications in our modern day that a person should not have to die gasping, choking and writhing in pain this is not the best we have to offer! Suicide is a quick fix and being sold as the way out.

Can you imagine if this woman had a change of heart at the last minute, how awful? What if she changed her mind? She might have felt pressure anyway to kill herself because of the tremendous show she put on, goodness how sad.

Very true!