Baby Charlie - Who Decides When a Terminally Ill Patient Must Die?
Who decides?
When a terminally ill patient should die
No one’s fooled when the plug is pulled
It’s tragic and cold
Whether young or old
Proclamations of that “better place”
The tears on a mother’s face
Homes left with an empty space
Despite the futility
And little chance of recovery
Hope shines from the moments of stability
Critical care
No longer there
Just a lengthy “wait and see”
Advice
From the left and right
Day and night
Let them pass, or watch them fight
In and out of consciousness
Analyzing cognizance
Medical charts have no heart
No soul, no art
A personalized diary called “end of days”
Medical considerations
Experimental medications
Applications and expectations
Reservations and variations
Circling back to a permanent vacation
And that uncomfortable realization
That every crossing has been crossed
Tried them all, ignored the cost
Yet the moment still is lost
Is it time?
Is it a crime?
Who decides?
When a terminally ill patient should die?
Is it you?
Or I?
Questions & Answers
Comments
Most emotional and heartfelt. You are right I would rather leave it in God's hands. Still one of the toughest choices in life.
I had to face that last summer with my son. It was heartbreaking, but the hospital ask us for a decision. I knew that somewhere tucked away in his paperwork was a living will that we had discussed a few years before. They said he was brain dead and would die within an hour of pulling the plug. He'd made the decision for himself. We allowed them to turn off the machines, and I prayed that he would live in spite of it. They were right. It was two days before his birthday and the anniversary is coming up in six weeks. I can't answer your question, Ralph.
I think that unless the person is a grownup, and wants to die, nobody has got right to shorten a person's life. I have read about a guy that was in a coma for many years, and one day came out of it. Had his family listened to the doctor, he would have had no chance. With my last pregnancy I was told, after having a scan, that the baby should be removed as she had 'spina bifida,' like a previous pregnancy. I refused and my daughter was born perfect.
Such an emotive question Ralph. Unless you have faced the situation you may not know the answer. I was in the car driving to my mother's house when I received a call saying she had been found struggling for breath and rushed to hospital. Before I could get to the hospital they were phoning me asking if they should keep her alive on a ventilator or turn it off. Of course I told them to keep her alive. When I arrived she could not speak but had her full faculties and I and the rest of the family were at least able to spend time and converse with her (she could write) for two more days before the doctors convinced us that the respirator should be turned off. It was the saddest time of my life, but my father had passed away just a year earlier and she wanted to be with him. A very well written poem, Ralph.
4