Dying with dignity

Read Ellen Goodman in the Aug. 9 Tribune on page 3F and discover why everyone should have a living will and why we should support doctors who give end-of-life information to their patients and their families.

It is not about killing grandmas or keeping someone from enjoying one more sunset. It's about giving dignity and compassion to those near death.

Unfortunately, even when a patient has a living will that spells out no resuscitation, ventilators or feeding tubes, doctors sometimes convince the family that one more intervention such as surgery should be tried even if the elderly person is in a coma.

When my 89-year-old mother-in-law had her brain opened to release fluid, she awoke and asked my husband, "How much longer?" She had to wait another four weeks before she finally passed away.

Her experience and many others that I know make me realize how important it is to have a living will and to have its contents respected.

Patricia Tutty

Lewiston