This post has a big thank you to Brittany Maynard, the advocate for Death With Dignity, and also to Deepa Bharath, the staff writer at the Orange County Register, who wrote the front page article that inspired this piece.
The Story
An engaging photo of Brittany holding a dog and looking at the camera joins the title in very large font: SHE'S PICKED A DAY TO DIE....you can't ignore it. Inside is a picture of her and her husband on their wedding day, two years ago, full of life, exuberant, and loving on her special day.
She was having headaches around her wedding. Initially diagnosed as migraines, it turned out to be a brain tumor. She was told it would take ten years for her to die. But early this year, the pain worsened. The tumor grew faster, because it was actually something more ominous, glioblastoma, and she learned she had only six months to live.
She researched the disease, how it ends, and decided to move with her family to Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal. On November 1 she plans to listen to soft music, say her goodbyes to her family who will witness her death, and drink a mixture that has been prescribed to her by her physician, to go to sleep and never wake up again. (It takes about five minutes for sleep to begin and about forty to fifty minutes after, for death to occur)
Brittany says, 'Unless my condition improves dramatically, I will look to pass soon thereafter (her husband's birthday). When my suffering becomes too great, I can say to all those I love, 'I love you; come be by my side, and come say goodbye as I pass into whatever's next.'
Her video has gone viral, and she is now one of the biggest advocates for Death With Dignity. (see end for the video attachment)
Washington state and Vermont are also legal for this to happen too.
Voices Against In The News
'Insurers are under pressure to deny life-sustainng treatments that could cost thousands of dollars when they have this much cheaper option.' says Marilyn Golden, of the Berkeley-based Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, citing the case of Oregon cancer patient Barbara Wagner.
'When you combine assisted suicide with a profit-driven health system, that's a deadly mix.'
Proponents In The News
The Reverend Ignacio Castuera, draws a distinction between suicide, 'where there may be anger, emotional pain or even vindictiveness involved' and '...in Brittany's case...it's about an unwillingness to confront the pain and make their exit on their own terms. The loving thing to do is be supportive.'
George Eighmey, a board member of the Death with Dignity National Center in Oregon, said people who take the drugs always know when they are ready to go. 'They know because their suffering has become unacceptable. They've become detached from their world. Nothing interests them any more - trips, the news, nothing.'
Analytical Thinking
This news story is an attention-grabber. I showed it to the man sitting across from me at the dealership while we were waiting for our cars to be washed. His eyes opened wide, eyebrows raised, and he came to the edge of his seat when I pointed to the picture and said, 'WOW! This chick is going to kill herself November 1.'
She also elicits sympathy. She is young and in the prime of her life. She doesn't want to suffer. She is a teacher.
I know she is probably much different from her pictures now. She probably has to take a high dose of steroids, which decreases the swelling but makes the face puffy and moon shaped, as well as truncal obesity, huge appetite, and mood swings.
Her pain is real. The pressure of something growing inside your cranium, which is a closed bony box, must be excruciating. I had a tiny pituitary tumor that gave me headaches when I was twenty-five; I can only imagine the pain she is in now with a much larger mass.
But in the news article, I can't help but notice there are two persons interviewed on the FOR side, and only one, AGAINST. I wonder why this was written? Who approved it?
And in my heart of hearts, on this issue, I want to follow the dollar, and see which side has the most to gain by supporting this issue...
My Story
I am spiritual. Just yesterday I asked, 'Is There Consciousness After Death?' on my Facebook Page, Doctors With Reiki. A surprising number reported their own Near Death Experiences, first hand witnesses, to the idea that our bodies are not all we are; we are eternal.
One man described what person from work did what during his resuscitation that took fifteen minutes, freaking out his coworkers who were present at the time of his accident, because he knew this while he was pulseless and technically 'dead'. He had floated up out of his body, and watched the whole thing.
I KNOW for a fact that we are given 'exit points' in our life contract. There are about five of them. And on a Soul Level, we make the choice whether to take these exits or not. Many times when you have an eerie 'deja vu' experience, chances are good that this is in fact one of you 'exit points', or near it. (Please read Sylvia Browne's work for more on this subject)
I also KNOW for a fact that souls can push back the date of their final exit a little, to be present for an important birthday (like Brittany for her husband) or other milestone family event.
I have escorted spirits to The Other Side in my meditations since 1992. How I can do this, I don't know--it just began with my grandfather Nanu Filippo and it hasn't stopped since. It feels like the most natural thing in the world for me to do so.
What I do know, is that with a suicide, the vibration is VERY LOW, and I can't 'find' them or 'hear' them, in most circumstances.
I also KNOW that we are issued a life Contract that is filled with Lessons and also Karmanic Debt payments written into it. I KNOW that for a suicide, any 'unfinished Lessons' will CARRY OVER to the next life. There is no escaping 'Lessons' as a Soul, and often times the lessons come back 'worse' due to the refusal to participate in the 'Course of Study' agreed to in the Pre-Birth Contract.
I also know that towards the end of life, the soul spends time in both worlds, here and The Other Side, and gradually makes the decision when it is ready to complete the Transition. Typically people dream of their deceased parents or other loved ones a few weeks prior. Then at the actual start of physical death, the body slows and the organ systems shut down, one at a time, until the heart and the breathing is the last to go.
I see the chakras stop spinning, and the little cord between the soul and the body detaches at the moment of death. Sometimes it takes a little while for the body to 'catch up' after I have witnessed the soul move on up to Heaven.
If you are thinking about assisted suicide, this is a psychological safety mechanism to have control, and a 'way out'.
This is still suicide.
I would reflect very strongly on two things--what your angels and guides tell you about your Pre Birth Contract and Lessons--will you still get your credit if you end your life as you wish, or are you going to have to REPEAT this lesson in 'whatever comes next'?
I would also think about the impact on your family to watch you pass. I am medically trained, and I can 'take it'. I was present when my grandmother, Nana Angelina passed. The debriefing after Nana Passed What I Saw As She Died End Of Life Facts My mother and sister were EXTREMELY NERVOUS at the bedside as Nana gasped with agonal breaths. It wasn't good for them to be there--it was causing them stress.
My policy with my patients, is to never let them refuse a treatment or make a medical decision that is driven by fear; I want them to demonstrate they have understanding of their options, and once I see that, I encourage and support them to choose the one that is right for them. This goes for general anesthetics and spinals for surgery, when a choice is possible. This goes with epidurals and natural for labor. This goes for just about everything else in-between too. So if you are thinking about Death With Dignity, I hope you understand that you are loved and supported by this page in every way. I want you to 'do your homework' on the spiritual side, as your friend who is a clairvoyant and medium AND doctor, and make sure you choose what is right for you.
I asked Blessed Mother to come and give me the answers when I was first faced with this situation. She said, no, not this time. Then all of a sudden, insights started coming together right and left. Archangel Raphael and Ross were guiding me at the time of writing...yes, they are REAL. And they, along with all the angels and archangels and deceased loved ones and guides, REALLY REALLY love you.
Archangel Raphael also wants me to share with you the 'deal' I have with my Guardian Angel, Laetari: when I am going to die, and it's really close, I asked him to 'pull me out' just a little before--so I don't feel it or any of the pain. Laetari and I have confirmed this one many times together. I trust in him. So when I get to the point where I can't take it, that is when Laetari is going to do his part, and escort me, just a little soon, back HOME.
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Peace,
Reiki Doc
P.S. Here is the video from her as promised. And yes, she does have the cushingoid changes to her face as I thought. I just watched it now for the first time.
