As Susan did, I wish I would have given myself time to rethink a fast no, and maybe tried to utter a slow yes in response to my grandfather refusing treatments. However, during his last days my family maintained vigil and fought to secure a comfortable death for my grandfather. Though I was not there in his last days since I was on a mission with the military and not able to make it home in time I am comfortable with every decision I helped make while he was fighting this terrible disease. He fought long enough to see most of all the family for the last time, and attended some memorable events with his other grandchildren for them to cherish. So, I responded in similar ways as Susan did resulting in my loved one leaving this earth comfortable.
Personally, I believe I would have regretted accelerating my grandfather’s death, and not being a strong support system for him. I would have never wanted him to feel like I was giving up on him, and trying to abandon him because times were hard. “I would not want to bear the burden of having “accelerated,” of causing his death by euthanasia or assisted suicide.” (Wolf, 2008 p. 26) I agree wholeheartedly with this statement made by Susan, because my grandfather fought long enough to make his wishes known to us. The time that he fought allowed us to say our goodbyes and prepare to lay him to rest in a thought-out approached way. However, everyone is not as strong as Susan’s father or my grandfather was during this tough time, and I think having the option available to them is ok. If physicians will be willing to assist out of respects for the patient and family wishes than I do not see a problem. I used to view this as murder believing if a patient is extremely terminally ill than they are not competent to make decisions as such. I felt it was away for the doctors and hospital staff to abandon the patient. For example, Susan’s father was moved from hospital to hospital during his care simply due to certain staff members thinking they have done all they can do for him. It was a struggle trying to find doctors who would accept my grandfather as a patient, so I could only imagine how hard it was to find different acceptable hospitals and hospice facilities for him.
As Susan’s father made a request for accelerated death he only was crying for help to relieve the