My cousin Tony had cystic fibrosis. About five years ago at age 58, when he was one of the oldest cystic fibrosis patients treated at Dartmouth Hitchcock, his lungs failed him for the last time and he was placed on a ventilator. As a result, he was no longer able to eat or speak. He received nourishment through a feeding tube and he communicated by writing notes. Tony had been conscientious about diet and exercise, so except for his lungs, his body was healthy and could survive for years. He was not a viable candidate for a lung transplant.
The doctors told him that if he wanted to be taken off the ventilator, which would end his life, they would help him. Tony chose a date two weeks henceforth and spent his remaining time getting his affairs in order by writing notes about what to do with his possessions. On the appointed day, he made his final goodbyes with the two family members he chose to be in attendance. The doctors administered a drug to relax him before removing the ventilator. It was a matter of minutes before Tony was gone, with no sign of struggle or discomfort.
I share this experience with you as an example of a person making a final choice about quality of life. Whether we call it death with dignity, medical aid in dying, or end-of-life options, it’s about having control over one’s fate. It’s about having a choice.
If you agree that people, possibly yourself someday, should have this choice, please let your legislators know that you support the Massachusetts End of Life Options Act. It was recently advanced by the Joint Committee on Public Health and is now awaiting action by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. You can find your legislators’ contact information here: https://malegislature.gov/
Please don’t think that your opinion doesn’t matter. Shortly before moving to Greenfield from Beverly, I was one of a small group of about a half dozen people who met with our state senator who happened to be on the joint committee tasked with studying this bill, and she was still on the fence about the issue. Our meeting ended with her thanking us for sharing our opinions and answering her questions; she was no longer undecided and would support the bill in committee! I left that meeting with a certain sense of accomplishment that I never felt before. So please don’t assume that your opinion won’t make any difference.
Joan Milnes is a resident of Greenfield.