After three brutal rounds of chemotherapy and radiation failed to stop the cancer from spreading, Minnie Marshall made the decision to stop curative treatment and in July called Hospice. Now Marshall focuses on managing her pain and enjoying time with her daughter, rather than undergoing painful treatment that won’t stop the cancer, only prolong the inevitable.
“I’d rather feel healthy in my time left than create artificial time,” Marshall said. “I told (my oncologist) when the treatment becomes worse than the disease, I wanna stop.” “I’d rather have two months feeling good than two and a half months and feeling bad the last month.”
Marshall isn’t the only one who prefers quality of life over quantity. A recent poll commissioned by The Regence Foundation and National Journal found Pacific Northwest residents are more open to end-of-life options than the overall American public. According to the poll, 83 percent of Washingtonians believe enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill patients is more important than extending life for as long as possible. That compares to just 71 percent of Americans who share the same belief. [from the Washington State Columbian]
After three brutal rounds of chemotherapy and radiation failed to stop the cancer from spreading, Minnie Marshall made the decision to stop curative treatment and in July called Hospice. Now 
1 comments:
Obviously, this very lovely middle-aged woman made the choice of "quality" over "quantity" of life!
Her right to make this choice is protected by law. This is as it should be!
But, in the instance of elderly individuals with terminal cancers, it may be that they are not given the choice - because if they choose "quantity" meaning extension of their lives, it may be that Medicare/Medicade and the Private Insurance Companies may not pay for their treatment of choice -- especially if the treatment itself causes expensive hospitalization.
The due process rights of the elderly are being violated when they are deprived of "choice" as intended by law because of the agenda of medical and fiscal futility to cut the costs of end-of-life treatment.
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