02-23-2019, 05:57 PM
(02-19-2019, 10:59 AM)fredtoast Wrote: It would be for me. I know they would be sad without me, but if they would be better off in the long run then I would make the sacrifice. This is especially true with old people who are sick or feeble and no they are not going to get any better. They know they are not going to live forever, and if they are a burden to theiir family then they may end their life to relieve loved ones of a burden.
I guess some people are just bothered more by being a burden to others. I know it would drive me crazy. I would feel terrible every day knowing I was holding back my loved ones. I would not be ableto stand it.
I kind of compare it to a person who is diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 cancer and doesn't have adequate insurance, savings, or ability to make money to pay for treatment. Do they go down the path of incurring massive debt and leaving the bills to their loved ones after death (along with funeral expenses)? Do they just accept their fate and die when the disease takes them?
I actually had this discussion with my dad when he was diagnosed. He was ready to die after the first round or 2 of chemo. He said it every time I saw him. Instead, he endured a year of surgeries and near death trips to the hospital and time spent in treatment facilities. All of this was due to the birth of my son the same year, and him wanting gut it out to be around him. I sometimes feel guilty for encouraging him to go though it. Fortunately, my family had the means to cover the expenses without significant damage to my mom's future in retirement. That's not always the case for people in that scenario.
I'd have to say that if the choice what clear, given what I know about the process and of treatment and the uncertainty/excruciating pain involved, I may just choose to die. This is especially true if my receiving treatment meant my wife may lose the house or life savings due to a treatment process carried out in vain.
