Anybody else watching?

I’m wondering how I’d deal with this.

Yeah. It’s all making me quite sad to be honest. 🙁

Heart wrenching.. such a horrible disease 🙁

– bit dusty in here too.

Heart-rending.

just watched it.
bloke dealt with it with proper dignity. so sad that we are not humane enough here to let people deal with this in their own home, surrounded by loved ones.

ton +1

Can’t watch stuff like that. What an awful way to go. ??

Ah, me and the missus in bits here. Awful disease but he looks to have enjoyed his life

Hard to watch and mixed emotions as my ( ) went through this process at end of last year albeit not with Motor Neurone – much closer to home for this forum. Half wanted/half forced myself to watch it.

Felt v sad for all involved during the programme but just numb now. I still don’t know what to think about the whole issue.

Appreciate what we have, while we can.

I’d die happy if I had half as many good friends around me during those final days/moments. A life well lived, yet tragic none the less.
Powerful watching.

I’m with ton on this in principle. It’s choice not compulsion or coercion that’s key. But I’ve never been through what others have with losing their near and dear from something dreadful like mnd so I’m not sure how qualified I am to comment on the effects and circumstances

I do worry though that we wouldn’t get the safeguards and practicalities right though.

Very true SJ, he obviously gave a lot to others.

How come we can take an animal to a vet and get it put to sleep when enough is deemed enough, but we can’t do the same with humans?

I’m with ton on this in principle. It’s choice not compulsion or coercion that’s key….

I absolutely appreciate your concerns and they should be the concerns of everyone but equally we need to find a way to make assisted suicide a reality for those that want it. Anything less is inhumane.

A friend of mine’s mum has just died a hideous, drawn-out death in a hospice that took more than two weeks. She had dementia, didn’t know what was going on, hadn’t eaten for a fortnight. It was a grotesque and heartbreaking way to go, when (dementia aside) she could have died with less pain and more dignity. We seem to treat our animals with more compassion. I have no doubt that I would make the same decision as Simon, if I had to.

ton+1

Our medical profession is trained on perpetuating life, I can understand why they are, in the majortiy, unable to support assisted death.

@tmh a very tough one for you. Indeed enjoy what we can now.

My brother and I promised this for my dad, 4 years into his battle with cancer when he had been told the fight was over. It would have torn my heart out to do it, but the way that he cried and asked over and again if I really meant it and would go through with it – he was so grateful and it has me in tears all over again thinking about it.

As it happened, he went down really fast and was dead within a few weeks, so we never had to go through with it. I utterly understand anyone who decides to pick the moment of their end – they are incredibly brave.

The unfortunate thing is, those that vote on laws around this are generally those who have most to fear around abuse of any system set up to regulate it.
They aren’t the blameless who go through their lives just getting on with things, or people who do great things for nothing else than the satisfaction of helping people.

They are in a good number of cases, greedy money grabbing shysters who’d sell their own mothers for the gold in her teeth. And many will have (within living memory) seen unpopular or embarrassing relatives “sent away” to somewhere less embarrassing (the country estate for instance, or Australia). Probably a more significant chunk in the Lords, but still a good number in the lower house.

I can’t see any changes in the law coming up any time soon.

Even Camerons mother has had enough of him. And mothers will forgive most thinks, Except being an immoral, thick, sleezebag.

My elder sister died a squalid and distressing death in Sheffield Hallamshire under the so-called Liverpool Care Pathway. I will never forgive myself for not having kicked up a fuss when I saw her suffering absolute torment from thirst. She wanted to kill herself as her MS progressed but couldn’t find a way to do it; it would have been preferable to what happened to her.

That said, most people think that Dignitas and other Swiss “clinics” are beautiful glass and stainless steel places perched on the edge of a Swiss mountain with spiritually-uplifting views and a peaceful calming environment. The truth is that Dignitas and others use a variety of apartments and hotel rooms for the assisted suicides where they run the gauntlet of other residents who become tired of the endless procession of funeral directors carrying bodies out and complain to the authorities, who force the organisation to move on to somewhere else where they will be tolerated for a while. I wouldn’t want that; it will be the same method as the Chief Constable of Manchester Mike Todd, climb a mountain in winter, neck a bottle of malt and undress, if I can make it to Scotland or somewhere hilly.

Didn’t watch this but am curious as to how far one’s wishes would be permitted/tolerated. For example, I’m in the process of writing out and giving to my children a list of procedures as well as drugs that I would not want if I was unable to give or refuse consent.

What is the reality of this? Very interested to hear from any medics on this.

It was explained in the programme. You are allowed to do nothing to prevent death but not allowed to take any positive action that causes death. My Dad was a GP and he told me he had sanctioned withdrawal of treatment several times in his career.

It was such an honest account of what Motor Neurone Disease can do to an otherwise fit and healthy person in a frighteningly short space of time.
I found it especially emotional to watch as my mum died just 8 months after her diagnosis of MND, only she died ‘naturally’. Seeing Simon’s experience with his last moments in comparison, I definitely think he chose the better option, even if his wife, family and friends didn’t agree with it. I don’t think they would have wanted to see him go through what my mum did.

I wouldn’t want that; it will be the same method as the Chief Constable of Manchester Mike Todd, climb a mountain in winter, neck a bottle of malt and undress, if I can make it to Scotland or somewhere hilly.

My sister’s OH spent several years on the RAF search and rescue teams who go out in all conditions, spending hours searching for and retrieving the bodies of suicides. I think he’d be fairly robust in requesting that you consider staying at home and using an Exit Bag instead.

I really feel the subject should be put to a referendum. All the people I know are pro assisted death.
The church has too loud a voice on this subject.