Comments

I'm puzzled by exactly what you mean by "understand[] how to navigate the spiritual complexities of dying," and what exactly it looks like to have religious physicians and nurses participate in the process. Perhaps you have a paper, book, blog, etc. where this is further explained. Once that is clarified maybe we can move along the path to having it happen. Or will it become just another task laid on the already too busy physician or nurse? Certainly, it must take more than their allotted 15 minutes with the patient/family.

Hello -
I am a documentary maker and hospice volunteer in Atlanta, Georgia.
I've produced a short documentary about end-of- life decision making, palliative care, caregiving and hospice.

It's called 203 Days.
You can view it in its entirety at the following University of Connecticut website along with a study guide.
http://fitsweb.uchc.edu/Days/days.html
It is an unflinching look at the day-to-day interactions between patient and caregiver, in this case an 89 year old woman who is living with her daughter.

203 Days won the First Place 2007 Film Award from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

If you'd like more information please go to my website
http://bbarash.com/bb_203days.htm

I hope this film is helpful to people who want to know more about some of the most common experiences for caregiver and patient at this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Bailey Barash

Thanks for this clarification. When I read this article and heard of the study he cites, it led me (a local church pastor) to wonder if maybe we church leaders need to do a better job preparing our people to navigate end-of-life decisions. We emphasize the value of life so much (and appropriately so, in my estimation) that some of our people may believe they are obligated to pursue any and every option even when facing terminal diagnoses. To put it another way, maybe at least some believers who choose such heroic measures do so more out of fear of offending God than out of a desire to prolong life here on earth. I have found in my ministry that many of the terminally/chronically ill people I have pastored would just as soon get going to Jesus as stick around here any longer than He deems necessary.

The original article was helpful, and this clarification was especially so. My father became sick a year ago, but he was fully expected to recover. Instead, he got progressively worse. We went from being told to look for a rehab place when my dad was released from the hospital to being asked to make end-of-life decisions, including removing his life support, within a 24-hour span. It was confusing and disheartening, but primarily it was staggering to be asked to do what I believe only God should be doing--end a person's life. Thankfully, a long-time, trusted pastor "happened" to call us just before we left for another hospital visit. I asked him all of my questions about the ethical issues and biblical perspectives we should be considering as we were asked to make this life-and-death decision about my father. This pastor, who had lost his wife just a few years earlier, compassionately addressed my concerns and offered biblical and practical input that gave me much greater peace of mind about the next steps. We prayed and hoped for healing for my father, but when it was clear that he was only being kept alive by a painful and obtrusive breathing machine, we agreed to have it removed. God could still have healed my father and enabled him to breathe without the machine, but He did not. My family and I sang and prayed my father into the presence of God. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel today if that pastor had not been able to offer me clear, biblical guidance about how to cooperate with God as He was bringing my father's earthly existence to an end.

Mark Galli -- this is a fascinating subject and I think one much neglected. For those of us with aging parents, these are hard issues to face, but you're right that the Christian community needs to deal with it more directly and with the compassion that comes through in your post. I fear, though, that, after the utter insanity that erupted in the Terry Schiavo matter, most people will instinctively flee anything the evangelicals might have to say on ths point.

I also appreciate that you posted the clarification/complement from the author. Why is it that you, the Senior Managing Editor of CT, have enough intellectual honesty to post a clarification, but your staff editors do not? Twice recently your staff have posted factually incorrect or misleading posts on the Politics Blog: Stan Guthrie on 2/27/09 in a post about Pres. Obama taking steps to repeal Pres. Bush's "conscience" regulations and Sarah Pulliam on 3/26 in a post about the President's Bioethics Council. Stan scknowledged the errors in both -- in reply to comments -- but refused to correct either article itself. (Sarah Pulliam didn't respond at all). These are not the first two times this has happened. (And, the errors all seem to create a false impression about Pres. Obama.)

CT advertises that it "[d]elivers honest and relevant news from an evangelical viewpoint." I think you should require your editors to own up to whatever they've gotten wrong. I know blog posting is fast-paced and sometimes mistakes creep in, but it is standard blog etiquette to post corrections/clarifications up in the original post rather than requiring readers to scroll through comments to get to the truth.

Very important topic IMO. I am surprised that Mark jumped to the conclusion he did. Research studies normally need clarifications such as that by Dr. Balboni. Her is my thought.

Protestants have no way to deal effectively with guilt and shame so when we are facing eternity and have unresolved guilt we are confused about what to do. So, those "end of life issues" are often how to make peace with my conscience and face God freely.

I visited a man with terminal cancer who was fighting hard to live. I listended carefully and found he was shamed to go to eternity looking so badly. When I told him about a new heavn and a new earth, including a new body, he as free to let go. "Why did I never hear this before?" he asked. Why indeed!

I survived a "terminal" diagnosis (we all are terminal) in 1995, given 1-2 years at best, due to the grace of God as well as His timing in opening an experimental research protocol. Unrelate, in 2001, I underwent an emergency brain surgery due to an infection that puzzled (to this day) the medical community. After a series of 3 brain surgeries, I spent the following 4 months learning to walk, talk and feed myself. It "so happens" that a nationally known neurosurgeon was at the teaching hospital that performed the surgeries. Following years of issues withmy esophagus (intobation related - scarring, infection, scarring cycle), I was diagnosed with Esophageal cancer during a routine EGD and had a complete Esophagectomy and radiation (I lost 50# down to 103#). Three occurrences, three dire situations and I see clearly God's hand in each of these. I live life to the full and the urgency of the Gospel proclaimed cannot be more clear to me. I am ready to go, but exactly as Paul said, it is better for others at this point to kep going. I would consider it an insult to God at this point to give up (although encouraged to on 2 out of 3 situations). God told Israel, "I know the plans I have for you..." (Jer 29:11). Who am I to guess what God has planned. I do look both ways before crossing the street though . The value I see in this article is a necewsity for a ministry in easing the transition from here to there. I loved Don McClean's testimony of singing his father into the presence of God.

When my earthly father had been hospitalized with a stroke at the age of 90 and he lay in his hospital bed, barely conscious, breathing heavily as he struggled to remain alive, his lungs filled with fluid, I sat in his hospital room with my sister and I prayed. I prayed continuously, sometimes out loud, mostly inwardly as my sister and I spent the night in the hospital, waiting for the end. The doctor’s had told us it was only a matter of time, his age, and his strength that had gone by the wayside, were factors that couldn’t be denied. He had come to the end of the road. Yet my father was a fighter, he had been one all of his life. I still can hear the sound of his struggled gasps for air; rhythmically he sucked gulps of air every few seconds as he continued to fight for his life. He surprised the doctors by holding out 2 days after they said he would go.
But I believe it was for a greater reason that he didn’t pass on quickly.I had prayed continuously for the Holy Spirit to bring a meeting between my father and the Lord Jesus Christ, because I knew if that could happen my father would be able, by faith, to choose Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Everything I had read in the Bible told me in my heart that God could make this possible, and he could have one last chance to choose life over death eternal; Jesus over hell. And so I prayed. I prayed all night long as I lay in the recliner that the nurses had provided so graciously for me in his hospital room. Whenever I awoke I began praying again. We were told by the doctors that he would, more than likely, pass on during the night, they had done everything they could do and it was in God’s hands now. I kept on praying and he lived through that night to have the light of the sun shine upon his face once more. We all wondered if, and hoped, that the doctors could be wrong. My father was only semi-conscious and didn’t respond to us in the room. Exhausted, my sister asked me to go to work, assuring me she would call me if there was any change. We all thought that he would continue to fight on for days, he had fought so valiantly through the night; every single breath a struggle, yet he would not give in.

I recall as I drove the 13 miles to my workplace how I had continued to pray on the road. I was praying for my father’s salvation as I drove toward work, and I remember a sudden peace came over me, and I felt and sensed in my heart, that I needn’t pray any longer. I stopped praying for my father at that moment, for the first time in 25 days since the first day he had been admitted to the hospital. I felt a heavy load lift from me, a burden removed from my heart, and for the first time a peace came over me and I knew God had answered my prayers.
A few hours later after being at work, I got the phone call. My sister’s broken voice uttered the words as she struggled to hold back her tears. “He’s gone” is all she said. I knew that being gone, meant that he was finally home and in the arms of our loving Lord. The peace God put on my heart a few hours before, had assured me of that. I truly believe my father continued to fight for his life until face to face with the Lord; he stopped fighting when he knew he was saved and eternity awaited him in the loving Lord's presence. In the face of death we need faith, hope and eternal assurance in a loving God in order to truly find peace.

Good article but a bit of an historical inaccuracy. Mary Queen of Scots was Queen of Scotland not England and the cousin of Queen Mary of England (known as Bloody Mary because of her religious persecutions). Mary I was Elizabeth I's older sister and reigned before her.

Thank you for addressing this issue. The church has been silent to long on the importances of this subject. A number of years ago we faced this same issue with our 20 year old son. If you go to following site you can read how my son worked through the issues of it being ok to die at the age of 20. Thanks for challenging us. For too long persons of faith have been caught up in maintaining life at all cost. I wounder what are Lord is going to have to say to the church in the west when we get to heaven about "the least of these around the world". Blessings Steve http://www.themennonite.org/issues/10-15/articles/Homeward_bound

Looking for individuals from around the world to share their experience of surviving a terminal diagnosis for case study. Thanks
desiree.james7@yahoo.com