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Thanks for the kind comment...often, it is we who work in the health care area, ,and see all sorts of things, that in the end decide we want to be let go, when the time comes...

All of us used to joke, that heck, we dont want our children to care for us, we want to have our own ward in the nursing home, as we know all the tricks that the old folks pull to rattle the nursing home staff...(note...I am not being irreverant to the subject of the thread , just trying to insert some respite into a serious thread)....

When my dying time comes, I want it to come swiftly...I dont want any do gooder, inflicting his will on me...thank goodness I have a living will, and have explicit advanced directives, that even a child could understand...

I mentioned this earlier, but for me a critical thing was the death of my grandmother. She had a DNR that was not respected. She was revived. She was suffering from senile dementia at the time and over 90. One month later, she slipped into a death rattle. We waited until she passed, then waited an hour longer before calling the paramedics. We explained that she was dead, she was going to remain dead, had a dnr, etc, and to be low key, but they still went out with full lights at 1AM and woke all the neighbors with both an ambulance, a fire truck, lights and sirens.

Most people would not want to live 15 years this way. That is why I find it reasonable that Terri Schiavo would say something that by the latest polls 82% of americans agree with here.

I respect life, I cherish it. I don't cherish the physical processes of respiration, digestion, heart beating. I enjoy living, loving, learning.

Bless Terri, Michael, and the Schindlers, and God bless us all. We are going to need some divine help to get past the bile, and hostility that has occured this past week.

When my dying time comes, I want it to come swiftly...I don't want any do gooder, inflicting his will on me...thank goodness I have a living will, and have explicit advanced directives, that even a child could understand...

I married an RN and also a "biker babe."

Wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle must be a personal choice. Yes, a helmet will keep you alive. There is also a high probability that you will suffer a spinal injury and be paralyzed from the neck down.

My wife and I have discussed this issue many times over the last 20 years.

If paralyzed, we have both chosen death.