Posted on 11/05/2013 11:08:43 PM PST by DemforBush
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tim Bowers loved the outdoors. Hunting gave him the quiet time during which he could reflect on a busy life that included a new wife, a successful business and a baby on the way...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
My prayers to his family.
guy is really looking now at hospice....just no easy answers....
I don't blame this young man....I'd do the same.....still, its very sad to loose him....sounds like he was a good and decent young man....God be with him....
I know that there are people who are going to be livid about what happened here, but it is absolutely true that medical technology can keep almost any of us “living” (by the biological definition of “living”) to 100+ years old now. But, will it be worth it? Never mind, to “society” - but to us?
The problem is “the slippery slope”...I don’t have an solution for this, because the answer is many, many levels above my pay grade...
The desire to live is very powerful for the most part...even under medical issues which create havoc for individuals....it breaks through the discomfort and cry’s out to live.
Yet at what point does one determine to “unplug”? I think when the “will” for life is no longer there after all else has been tried to sustain life.
Sad and beautiful.
There’s a spirit in every man..and I think with good reason why it is said ..”They “gave” up the Spirit”...at death.
I think there’s very deep Spiritual work that occurs within people when it is time or close to it to go...and this is generally hidden from those standing by, although you can sense it vividly at times. You see it often with Cancer patients....and really quite amazing.
When it comes to life I am for whatever sustains life if there is hope that is possible....but clearly there are cases that is not so.
I have an aquaitance who has endured cancer treatments oon and off for many years.......there is some question now if she wants to endure those again now that she is older. I understand her hesitation however if it means she can still enjoy life after the fact then go through with the treatments.
Sad story, but I wish him the best on his journey.
Had he not been found and transported to the hospital to be placed on the ventilator in time, the natural course of events would have been that he died alone, possibly in great agony, within a few hours at the base of that tree. Removing the ventilator - stopping the life prolonging treatment - simply restarted the stopped countdown to that ultimate of all events, death. With medical care, he got to know what had happened to him, be told about the irreversibility of his condition and the consequences, received respect for his dignity as an adult to make ultimate decisions about his treatment, got to see and speak with his family one last time, and die as pain free as possible surrounded by loved ones. It wasn't a long life full of events, children, etc., but it was a more dignified way to meet life's end.
To me, the key factors were: 1) that his family had the wisdom to place him, if possible, in the central position of making the decision, 2) he had the presence of mind and courage to decide, and 3) the medical establishment showed sensitivity to the fact that there are times when the best option is not to try to win at all costs against death and disease but to let the ultimate transition occur under controlled circumstances. In all three factors, ego and fear of responsibility for the decision and its consequences were minimized.
bttt
Christopher was born with a condition commonly known as"Elephant man's disease". This causes uncontrolled tumor growth all through the body. After countless surgeries to remove tumors he retained his spirit. Always happy and upbeat, he knew what his inevitable end was.
After trips to see the best Doctors in the country, nothing changed. He had a faith in God that was second to no one. If he ever asked"Why me?",he never voiced them to others. His last round left him bedridden for about three years. He had inoperable tumors in his lungs. He could not breathe lying down. He even had to sit up to sleep.
When he turned eighteen he was able to make his own decisions. He called everyone who had been there for him all these years and said good-bye. then he sent them all out of the room, laid down and went to sleep.
Hundreds of people attended his funeral and there was not a dry eye in the crowd.
I think I learned more about courage and faith from that young man than any other person I have ever known.
This story makes me very sad.
A friend of mind bought me a $100 Livewire safety harness with the condition that I use it and buy one for someone else. Check. Check.
Coupla’ points: All aspects of the prognosis are taken as holy writ, he was asked what he wanted at a time when he would be most vulnerable to despair. The annals of medicine are littered with examples like this that ended differently. How might this guy have felt a year or two down the line?
Just like the movie “Whose Life Is It Anyway?”
“Doctors thought he might never breathe on his own again.”
Let's look at this statement.
1. “Doctors” = auto mechanics who work on people instead of cars. Prediction accuracy right up there with weathermen.
2. “thought”, “might”, = guesses. In a life and death decision, I think I would want a more definitive diagnosis.
“Could Bowers be brought out of sedation and told of his condition so he could decide for himself whether he wanted to live or die?”
1. Is someone in that state of mind capable of making a life ending decision? OF COURSE NOT! Might he change his mind if given a few weeks or months to reflect and come to grips with what his new life would be like?
“We just asked him, ‘Do you want this?’ And he shook his head emphatically no,”
1. Who would WANT this? Again, in his state of mind, he is NOT able to make such a decision.
“He would never walk or hold his baby”
1. They don't KNOW that!
2. Now he'll NEVER see, kiss, cuddle, snuggle, hear, love, admire, watch them grow up, get married, have his grandchildren, see them love HIM!
LOOK AT ALL HE WILL MISS and THE CHILD WILL MISS.
“He'd never return to those outdoor activities that gave him such peace.”
1. OMG! Get a grip on what is important in life. HUNTING????
2. “Peace”? is he at peace? after effectively committing suicide? Tough question, but this decision might have eternal consequences.
“Through it all, Shultz said, her brother never wavered in his decision to die.”
1. How sad. Through it “ALL” five whole hours to reflect?
“Medical ethicists say it's rare for patients to decide on the spot to be removed from life support, especially so soon after an injury”
1. “it's rare for patients to decide on the spot”
a. “rare”
b. “on the spot”
2. “especially so SOON after an injury”. WAY TOO SOON!
“he had previously talked with his wife, Abbey, whom he married Aug. 3, about never wanting to spend his life in a wheelchair”
1. “wanting to spend his life in a wheelchair”
Who WANTS to spend their life in a wheelchair? NO ONE! Ask those in wheelchairs if they would rather be dead and they would say no.
2. You can't decide such a thing until you are IN that situation and have had time to adjust.
” I felt that he did it on his terms in the end,”
1. Sadly “his terms” were decided by emotions with the lack of facts and time to even begin to make the choice to commit suicide.
Am I heartless? Just the opposite. I grieve for this man who chose to give up his earthly life and maybe his eternal life in heaven. He may have lived for a long time. He may have been able to make some progress toward recovery. The possibilities for him, while not completely known were possibly endless.
I grieve for the family and friends who agreed with or supported, or even encouraged this action. Who knows what the consequences will be for them.
I am pro LIFE. God gives us life, and is the only one allowed to take it. Life is precious. If your “quality of life” isn't perfect, it doesn't make it any less precious.
In today's world the value of life has been so diminished, that the unnatural loss of a human life has become completely acceptable. Abortion, suicide (assisted or otherwise), capital punishment, death panels, murder, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and Jihad.
We must stand up for LIFE!
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