Re: OT Atlas Shrugged.

["Robert L Bass" <Sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Frank Olson" wrote:
>
> After witnessing the suffering of my own father I have to
> say that society should allow medically assisted suicide.
> On his last lucid day, Dad managed to communicate
> that he was having a great deal of pain simply breathing.
> He could barely talk because he simply couldn't get
> enough air. The cancer had eaten away most of his
> lungs and the doctor told us that what he had left was
> about the size of a 25 cent piece. He wrote that he
> would pay anything just to take a deep breath. They started administering
> morphine and he slipped into a
> coma.  He hung on for another three days.  He never
> woke up.

I'm sorry to hear that, Frank. I can tell you one thing though. For me and, I
suspect, for most people dealing with end stage cancer the worst pain isn't
physical. It's worrying about who will take care of my family. I'm doing
everything I can now to make certain that the people I love are taken care of
when I no longer can help them. I feel sad, too, about missed opportunities to
do so many things I planned with friends and family members.

I've thought about it a lot over the past year or so. I've never considered
myself to be heroic. But for some reason I don't feel any fear of death.
Mainly it's because of my belief in where I'm going. I'm worried about the
last days which I know will be difficult but I've been through a lot of pain
already and I'm sure God will get me through what's coming.

I've said this to most of my friends at least once and I guess it bears
repeating here. It isn't a question of when or how you die. Those things are
usually decided without your consent. The only question is how you will live.
I choose to live life to the fullest, to enjoy every day and, as best I can,
to avoid hurting anyone else along the way. I don't pretend to have always
lived up to that standard but I try.

All the best,
Robert