California woman holds party before ending her life

Press Democrat ^ | 11 Aug 2016

[rey]

In early July, Betsy Davis emailed her closest friends and relatives to invite them to a two-day party, telling them: "These circumstances are unlike any party you have attended before, requiring emotional stamina, centeredness and openness."

And just one rule: No crying in front of her.

The 41-year-old artist with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, held the gathering to say farewell before becoming one of the first Californians to take a take a lethal dose of drugs under the state's new doctor-assisted suicide law for the terminally ill.

[Salvation]

Unfortunately, God won’t have a party for her.

[Bryanw92]

>>One can easily chose to not have medical care....purposefully taking one’s own life is a waaaay different story

It’s interesting that people who say “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees” or “I’d die for my brothers” or any of a dozen courageous saying about sacrificing your life will act like choosing to avoid a painful and humiliating form of death is wrong.

[Churchillspirit]

Amen.

[dp0622]

What if it was from hillary?

[Sivad]

Speak for yourself.

Regards,
Fourth Generation Californian

[mkjessup]

I grieve with you FRiend. My Mom was 87 when she went to be with the Lord. It isn’t that the will to live isn’t there, it always is, but I think it is the realization that the body cannot recover from injuries sustained at such an advanced age.

There will however be a Day in which we will all be rejoined with our loved ones and friends (and FRiends too, we’ve lost a lot of people here on FR over the years), and we will know absolute joy without the mortal flaws, pains and sorrows of this life.

[mkjessup]

Machines and never ending ‘life’ support are meaningless in my view. I can see such efforts being employed to allow loved ones time to travel to see their departing family member, in which case such methods serve a useful purpose. But to spend one’s years in a vegetative or near-vegetative state?

It mocks God as I see it.

My Grandfather died in 1969 after the cancer which had laid dormant for years went active, and based on what was then ‘primitive’ technology today, his doctors told us that they could use radiation to try and arrest the cancer, however he would never be the same, would most likely continue on in a coma, and our family was unanimous in saying ‘No’, and to “let the Lord’s Will be done”.

He passed peacefully in his sleep a few weeks later, and I can’t help but think that he silently said “thank you” for letting him go.

[Flying Circus]

I cannot imagine anyone who truly had a loving relationship with God would choose to commit suicide. Suicide is self murder and God explicitly commands us “though shalt not kill (murder)”.

God lets us suffer as a means to grow closer to Him who suffered on the cross. Our lives are not ours to take. A Christian accepts what life sends even sickness and pain.

[Talisker]

Speak for yourself.
Regards,
Fourth Generation Californian

No, I think I'll let the majority of Californians make my point as they pass endless laws driving away business, welcome millions of illegals, and stampede to vote for Hillary.

That's California today. It's not the California I grew up in, and it isn't the California of four generations ago.

[Nifster]

There is no greater love .....

How can you not see the difference between sacrifice as opposed to the self centered act of suicide

[Falconspeed]

Interesting points.

Reincarnation is impossible since the soul is a feature and it is impossible to swap features. I cannot replace the flatness of my desk with the flatness of the floor. Silly Indian myths from 400 BC. But always fun to talk about with a few beers and a camp fire.

The Tibetan book of the dead teaches that a soul will meet six Buddhas and then will be offered six lights: grey, blue, white, etc. A suicide person will be attracted to grey and will return as a ghost. Thus, maybe ghosts in old hotels are ex-suicide people.

For Catholics, suicide is wrong, since God alone determines our birth and death and no one can say their suffering is extra ordinary. Lou Gehrig did not commit suicide. He was a gentle Christian man.

[fruser1]

I think I’d rather go camping and never come back.

[Dr. Sivana]

In the olden days these people would have died quickly.

My best childhood friend's mom was diagnosed with ALS in her early '60's, about 20 years ago. She is still alive. While I admit that she isn't dong well now, the encroachment of the disease was greatly slowed for at least 15 years. As little as a year ago my family visited her and her husband, and for a woman in her '80s she wasn't worse off cognitively than many other folks in their '80s, and was at that point was still able to live with her husband in assisted living. She got to see her grandchildren grow up, and she has been loved by her husband (who has been fighting slow growing cancer for much of this time, Korean war vet) and her extended family.

At 41, there can still be a lot of life left to live, and as others have noted, more breakthroughs are possible. In any event, there can be value to suffering, if accepted with love and forbearance. Poor woman.

[Osage Orange]

Wrong diagnosis...would be my guess.

[Sivad]

Your first post spoke as if the state is ALL one thing.
Then you backtracked to “the majority of Californians “
when you responded to my response. As long as I am here
you will need to stick with “the majority of Californians”
shtick. We may not be the majority but there are still
more California conservatives than there are people in
many other states. Consider moving to Texas, the home of
asinine blanket statements about ALL things California.
Or, you might consider moving to a more conservative part
of California.

[BarbM]

“..... No reason to be kept alive and suffer and that means the both of us.”

Can I ask, do you consider yourself a Christian? Are you evangelical? You know the kind of “Christian” who makes up their own rules?

If not an immoral decision, it sure is the coward way out.

[Talisker]

I don’t really care about your ancestors. I’ve been here all my life, and this place is a liberal cesspool. If you live in Mayberry, CA, good for you - I have no idea where that is. The tragedy of this state is everywhere in the liberals who are everywhere. I’m not interested in trying to change your denial - you can just sit there wondering what’s going on, that’s fine with me. The rest of the state is fleeing these entrenched morons as fast as possible. Yes, including me when I can. The state I loved no longer exists.

[Talisker]

“..... No reason to be kept alive and suffer and that means the both of us.” Can I ask, do you consider yourself a Christian? Are you evangelical? You know the kind of “Christian” who makes up their own rules? If not an immoral decision, it sure is the coward way out.

Given that you don't know what he's facing, I'd say you have the life experiences of an infant, combined with the arrogance of a bureaucrat.

May God respond to your deepest fears with the same level of mercilessness and utter lack of compassion you show others - "Christian."

[BarbM]

Why do you have to belittle me?

Does it make you feel superior? True Christian principles are very difficult to live by.

domestic abuse, bowel perforation with sepsis and peritonitis, alcoholism, childhood physical abuse, broken back yeilding chronic low back pain, walk with a limp, looks of a female democRAT, 2 meniscus tears, bunion ectomy, beaten up by 2 coworkers, spit on, laughed at, cheated,

I know the Mercy of God Almighty and I know compassion.
Go insult somebody else.

People of low courage will wack themselves, rather than suffer. Or kill an unborn child, rather than suffer. Hedonism.

[Reddy]

Thanks for the laugh on this somber thread.