Health

Last year, I had the closest death experience. Before that, I had never been presented with any human being nor animals dying in my sight. My late ninety-five year old friend announced her decision to undergo Medical Assistance In Dying two weeks prior to the official procedure. I heard about it, but had no idea the reality of the process and what to expect emotionally and logistically.

My friend Gertrude had been diagnosed with colon cancer and lived by herself until her last day. She was born in Germany in 1926 and lived through the darkest times of World War II and holocaust period. Until her very last days, she still talked and remembered how horrible it was. I was really struggling to support her decision because her mind was there, yet she was having massive pains all over her body and losing her ability to take care of herself. She was no longer able to be independent as she wanted. Fundamentally, she lost her will to live. She selected the ones who she wanted by her bedside. We each said our personal goodbye to her. I was so sad, full of tears and couldn’t even read the note clearly I wrote to her to let her know how much she meant to me. I held her hand during the procedure until her heart stopped. It was the most bipolar experience that I ever had, feeling so emotional for myself and very peaceful for her between a couple of minutes. She left the world with dignity and no longer suffered. I think that’s how I would like for myself for the inevitable one day.

I have Taiwanese and Japanese backgrounds in my upbringing. In both countries, there is no such medical assistance in dying that is accepted morally and legally. Undoubtedly, this type of medical assistance is controversial; it could be a mortal sin depending on the belief structure of death. However, in my humble opinion, no one should suffer from incurable pain and lose dignity as a human being.

For more information on MAID : Click here

Thank you for reading my article.