A pending death in the family
Apr. 21st, 2020 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plonqMy eldest brother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer less than three weeks ago. They started him on chemotherapy to control the symptoms and improve his quality of life. They said that with the type of cancer he has, the average life expectancy with treatment is about a year.
It turns out the cancer, and underlying conditions from it are far more aggressive than anyone had anticipated. When he finished his first round of treatments last week he was able to get around under his own power and even took the dog for a walk when they got home.
When he called me to chat on Thursday he had difficulty even speaking. This morning he was too weak to shave himself.
Tomorrow, at about 14:00 Pacific Time, he will be ending his life with the assistance of a trained nurse.
I respect his decision to end this on his own terms, rather than struggling through the final two, unpleasant weeks that they estimate he might have left to him with intensive treatment.
But I am crushed.
It turns out the cancer, and underlying conditions from it are far more aggressive than anyone had anticipated. When he finished his first round of treatments last week he was able to get around under his own power and even took the dog for a walk when they got home.
When he called me to chat on Thursday he had difficulty even speaking. This morning he was too weak to shave himself.
Tomorrow, at about 14:00 Pacific Time, he will be ending his life with the assistance of a trained nurse.
I respect his decision to end this on his own terms, rather than struggling through the final two, unpleasant weeks that they estimate he might have left to him with intensive treatment.
But I am crushed.
