[Vision2020] "unpleasant death as a result of disease or illness".

[lfalen]

Tom
This is much like the living will my mother had. She wanted pain killers but no life support measures.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Tom Hansen thansen at moscow.com
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:28:50 -0800
To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com,  vpschwaller at gmail.com, vision 2020 vision2020 at moscow.com, Sunil Ramalingam sunilramalingam at hotmail.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] "unpleasant death as a result of disease or illness".

> Arnold -
> 
> This topic deals with incurable diseases and illnesses, NOT AGING.
> 
> I do not recall "aging" listed anywhere, in ANY source, as a disease or 
> illness.
> 
> -----------------------------
> 
> For example:  Much like the living will my wife and I had prepared shortly 
> after my retirement from the Army . . .
> 
> >From   at
> 
> http://www.lectlaw.com/forms/f115.htm
>  
> ---------------
> 
> LIVING WILL
> 
> I, __________, of __________, being of sound mind, do hereby willfully and
> voluntarily make known my desire that my life not be prolonged under any of
> the following conditions, and do hereby further declare:
> 
> 1.  If I should, at any time, have an incurable condition caused by any
> disease or illness, or by any accident or injury, and be determined by any
> two or more physicians to be in a terminal condition whereby the use of
> "heroic measures"or the application of life-sustaining procedures would
> only serve to delay the moment of my death, and where my attending
> physician has determined that my death is imminent whether or not such
> "heroic measures" or life-sustaining measures are employed, I direct that
> such measures and procedures be withheld or withdrawn and that I be
> permitted to die naturally. 
> 
> 2. In the event of my inability to give directions regarding the
> application of life-sustaining procedures or the use of "heroic measures",
> it is my intention that this directive shall be honored by my family and
> physicians as my final expression of my right to refuse medical and
> surgical treatment, and my acceptance of the consequences of such refusal.
> 
> 3. I am mentally, emotionally and legally competent to make this directive
> and I fully understand its import. 
> 
> 4. I reserve the right to revoke this directive at any time. 
> 
> 5. This directive shall remain in force until revoked.  
>  
> IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and seal this _____ day of 
> __________, 20___.
>  
> ---------------------------------------
> 
> You will notice, Arnold, that NOWHERE within the living will does it 
> present a statement of condition even remotely similar to "upon reachinig 
> the age of ____."
> 
> If you, Arnold, consider aging to be a disease, my heart-felt sympathies 
> to those you render care.
> 
> Tom "who never gets old, just older" Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> 
> > Well, if you feel this way you might as well knock yourself off now
> because>  it is inevitable if it isn't happening already. 
> >  
> > Older age is a part of life. It should be cherished, not frowned upon.
> Ther> e are so many elderly in this world that feel terrible about 
> themselves
> bec> ause people say they would rather be dead than old or in pain. 
> >  
> > Stop for a moment, and ask yourself how you would feel if you heard 
> people
> > and society say they would rather be dead, or they would kill themselves,
> i> f they had to live the way you do? Your self esteem and sense of value 
> and
> > purpose would be smashed, as you are doing to others with such a 
> negative,
> > and might I say false, perspective of later years in life.
> >  
> > There is purpose and meaning and all life, and at all stages of people's
> li> ves. People suffer at all ages of life. Focusing on the age is
> discriminati> on. We should be focusing on ending the suffering in the 
> life, not end the
> > life for the suffering. 
> >  
> > I just want to smack people that assign the elderly and disabled, the
> l> abel of "life not worth living", because you couldn't be more wrong. 
> IMHO,
> > I would rather end the lives of the selfish and  vein that cause the
> > suffering rather than the elderly and disabled. 
> >  
> > Best Regards,
> >  
> >
> Donovan
> 
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> 
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