Who would have thought. Month 6 and firing on all cylinders! Health wise going OK. Family is strong and lots on. My chemo on Monday went well though the vein it went up is a bit sore and swollen, no drama. This is the cloudy week of tiredness so between things I rush off for a power nap. Only my friend Patrick is better at it.
Am still very excited by all that is to come with driving legislation and have lots on the go. Have now registered petershort.com.au so it will make it easier for you to tell your friends and build awareness if you so choose. Nearly at 10,000 on petition so a long way to go but that is the first threshold. Also have worked on the blog to make links easier, and share buttons at the bottom if you all hit them will be enormous help, big hint there 🙂
Interestingly am getting about 150 – 200 visits a day for a read, so it seems to have relevance. I do wonder how I became so wrapped into this but see no other way.
I would be greatly interested in ? and comments you may have that you just wish to know answers to, but have not felt comfortable to ask about this journey. It will help me be more thoughtful and you get more value from it. I feel the balance has gone a bit too far to platform for change rather than terminal journey but they merged on the fast track a few months back.
Got to go hooking up with a business call to London would you believe, the other bit of my life.
Pain 0/10 Physical Health 8/10 Mental Health 10/10 Life Enjoyment 9.9/10
Hi I have been reading your blog now for a month and I am a bit confused as t how someone with no pain and an apparently great view of life can be advocating for voluntary euthanasia for a person like me. If I am to use your scales my pain is currently 15/10 mental health is -15/10 as is quality of life. Living in a life of hell with diseases that will not kill me physically I only have euthanasia as an option. Not trying to be rude here just confused as to how your life demonstrates the need for voluntary euthanasia for people like me who dearly wish they could legally end it all. Regards Louise
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EVERYBODY wants a choice. Why do anti-compassion advocates constantly refuse to acknowledge this?
Hi Louise,
I don’t know you and I can’t begin to know your circumstances nor what circumstances or tragedies have lead to you obvious pain and suffering. I am not a health practitioner nor trained in psychology. My only qualification to comment is that I have lived and loved and lost and lived then loved and lived and learned that love and loss is life. Life is about how we deal with suffering. You inspired me to write the poem below. I hope it helps you in some small way.
While I can’t speak for Peter, I think his focus is on having choice about how we live out the last few hours, days, maybe weeks of our lives. This debate is about how we see out the time we have when we know we are near to death. It is about dying with dignity. There is another debate about living with dignity when suffering from debilitating disease, illness or injury. There is a different debate about euthanasia for people suffering through life and not near to death. This is too is a challenging debate and should not be confused with the one surrounding Peter’s end.
Peter’s time is near and he has decided to use the last few months to prepare for his last hours to be as wonderful as the years he has lived. He wants to have the choice of how those last hours are experienced and wants the same for us all. He has said it is comforting for him to know that when the pain from his disease inches beyond what he can bear, he will have the choice to leave his mortal life before medicine or disease destroys his dignity.
There is little hope that Peter can recover from his disease at this point. He is grateful that he has the chance to prepare for his passing. He can put his affairs in order and take steps to ease the suffering of family and friends, unlike those who lose their life suddenly or are stuck down by illness or injury before last words can be spoken. His hope is for his passing to be peaceful for himself and those with whom he has shared his life. And he is fortunate to also be able to use his remaining time to advocate for greater choice for us when our time comes to pass.
For those who risk losing their dignity years before their life’s end and those who have to endure a life of pain and suffering, amidst despair there is still hope I believe. If you live in each moment and not dwell on the past or anticipate the future, you might surprise yourself about your ability to cope.
Louise, I encourage you to seek professional help and keep searching until you find the support and assistance until you find relief from your pain – moment by moment.
John
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A message for Louise…
I have loved and given
lost and forgiven
given and loved and learned
that love and loss
are paths that cross
in a life that must be lived
I have felt pleasure and pressure
pain and treasure
pressure and pleasure and learned
from pain and pressure
springs relief giving pleasure
in a life that must be lived
I have tried and failed
succeeded and cried
failed and tried and learned
that to fail and still try
is to succeed in reply
in a life that must be lived
I have seen dark and light
dawn and night
light and dark and learned
the light in the dark
is fire in the spark
in a life that must be lived
I have heard lies and truths
tales from sleuths
truths and lies and learned
there is truth in the lies
about what you despise
in a life that must be lived
I have tasted bitter and sweet
sour and teat
sweet and bitter and learned
both sweetness and sour
fuel motherly power
in a life that must be lived
I have thought good and bad
happy and sad
bad and good and learned
from badness comes sadness
and goodness brings gladness
in a life that must be lived
I have lived and loved
loved and lived
lived and loved and learned
love is sublime
mortal moment in time
in a life that must be lived
Wonderful poem
Excellent poem to remember you.Have a great journey.!!Tex and Margaret Beaudesert QLD