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Enduring the heartache of seeing her mum's devastating decline with
Alzheimer's has led Corrie's Beverley Callard to make an extraordinary
decision.
Should she be stricken by the same brain-wasting disease, she wants her
family to arrange a mercy killing.
Beverley says: "For years we've seen poor mum get worse and worse, and now
some days she doesn't recognise me and can't speak a whole sentence.
"Her personality has vanished and what's left is a frail shell.
"Seeing her like that is the worst pain on earth for the people who love
her. And we cannot imagine how terrifying it must be for an intelligent,
proud, elegant lady like her to be trapped in her own mind and stripped of
her dignity.
"I couldn't bear to inflict the same suffering on my family. So I've told
them that if it happens to me I want to go to the assisted-suicide flat in
Zurich.
"I'd like them to pull the plug. End my life, quickly and mercifully.
"I haven't gone so far as to draw up proper plans to ensure that happens.
But I hope they'll respect my wishes."
[There is information in the Notes section below.]
[There are other related stories in the Links section below.]
To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)
Britain: Anger after doctors put 'Do Not Resuscitate' note on records
[Yorkshire Post]
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Anger-after-doctors-put-39Do.6331334.jp
A daughter has told of her "outrage" after discovering doctors treating
her late mother did not plan to resuscitate her if she collapsed.
Barbara Evans was treated at St James's Hospital in Leeds on a number of
occasions during 2006 and 2007 after being diagnosed with a tumour on her
liver.
But her daughter Caroline Feeman said she was shocked to later discover
DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) had been written on her medical notes during one
17-day stay on an elderly care ward in July 2006.
The issue is being highlighted in new guidance on end-of-life care which
comes into force in July. Campaigners have welcomed guidelines drawn up by
the General Medical Council which emphasise that patients must be given an
opportunity to discuss their wishes but still give doctors the right to
exercise their own judgment in making DNR decisions.
Records for Mrs Evans, of Oakwood, Leeds, show her stay in July 2006 was
the only time she had DNR written on her medical chart. She was
successfully resuscitated in April 2006 and again in 2007, 10 days before
she died a few days before Christmas, aged 84.
McCaffrey, Julie. "Corrie's Bev Callard on the heartache of her mum's Alzheimer's". The Mirror. 2/06/2010. <www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/06/02/corrie-s-bev-callard-on-the-heartache-of-her-mum-s-alzheimer-s-115875-22302487/>. MIRROR.CO.UK is the online edition of The Daily Mirror, Britain's brightest tabloid newspaper. The Daily Mirror is published by MGN Ltd, part of Trinity Mirror plc, the UK's largest newspaper publisher. Registered office: MGN Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP. Registered No. 2571173, England & Wales.
Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.
assisted suicide
active euthanasia
Dignitas
Britain
nvve-english Summaries of Relevant number 2, 2010
[Relevant]
http://www.nvve.nl/nvve-english/pagina.asp?pagkey=143029
"I have had a fantastic life"
To stop with eating and drinking is not an alternative
Do I exist, if I don*t think?
"Off free will" causes storm of reactions and discussion
Assisted suicide after an interview in Eindhovens Dagblad
Dutch euthanasia law does not lead to more requests
Membership rises to 111,000
Week of the Completed Life: a very successful campaign
An Australian Timeline
[Dying with Dignity New South Wales]
http://www.dwdnsw.org.au/ves/index.php/facts/an-australian-timeline
Dying with Dignity New South Wales publishes a timeline for
events in the Australian right-to-die movement between 1995
and 2009.
Britain: Assisted dying and access to good quality end-of-life care.
[Dignity in Dying]
http://dignityindying.blogspot.com/2010/06/assisted-dying-and-access-to-good.html
On the Dignity in Dying blog, Jill Highet, a
specialist palliative care nurse, explains the
need for assisted dying. She introduces herself:
"I have worked as a specialist palliative care nurse in the community for
25 years. I remain totally committed to this specialty. However, along
with some friends & colleagues, I do believe the law on assisted dying
needs changing.
"There are some circumstances where the wish for an assisted death is a
totally understandable & rational request. The reasons for such requests &
decisions have been eloquently expressed by those who have made the
journey to Switzerland, or continue to campaign for this human right in
the UK.
The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201006029323.
Mailed: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 14:41:08 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.
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