Saturday, August 15, 2009

HEY AMERICANS, GET IT TOGETHER

We elected President Obama by a large majority and now is the time to get behind him and listen and learn. Sarah Palin and others are trying to muddle up the message and intent of his health care program to cover any American who needs it. I spent the last two years with my mother as she went thru 7 cancer surgeries that finally took half of her left leg. She was 78 when they began and she died on her 80 th birthday. During that time, the hospital asked her if she was interested in filling out a living will and she and I talked about it. It was her wish that she not have any more surgery and that she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial methods. She requested that she be given pain medications and be kept comfortable and be allowed to die in peace. Also, she named me as her surrogate knowing that I would respect her wishes and see to things after she was dead. She paid for her own cremation years before and told me who to contact and they would take care of everything. I elected to keep her ashes but she was not concerned about them as she would not be there.

When a person is considered to be brain dead (and in my humble opinion Sarah Palin is almost there) then it is time to pull the plugs and prepare the body for burial or cremation and for the living to move on. The body may still be there but the spirit or soul if you will, has already left and there is no need to keep paying hospital bills or keeping vigil, and I believe that if asked the deceased would have said as much. That is what living wills are all about, pure and simple. Also I strongly believe in organ donations as well if and when it is possible. Because I have AIDS that isn't possible but if it were I would do so.

Disrupting town meetings where people can actually get GOOD information or just altering the truth and scaring the living shit out of people is uncalled for. PLEASE, GET THE FACTS AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. A living will is NOT a death sentence but it will let your family and friends know what YOU want and when you want it.
Mike