We DO take better care of our animals…

A lot of those commenting here who have lost friends or family to suicide appear to have forgotten that the lady in question already had a death sentence due to a terrible disease.

Could she bring financial burdens and the pain of her family watching her die a bit more day by day, hour by hour? How long could she stand by and watch her family mourn her, while she was still alive?

I have watched the life of someone I love be whittled away like rotten wood in a storm, day by day. I would not wish that sort of heart break on my worst enemy, I can only imagine what it was like for the person slowly leaving this world, watching those who love you, watch you slip away.

Moments of torment, or a single moment? I would chose the latter.

My mother was taking care of her mother some years ago, who was riddled with cancer, and it became too much for my grandmother, and she asked my mom for more morphine without my mother knowing that she had just recently had morphine given to her by a house call nurse. My grandmother lived a very full life, and decided that she gave it her all, and wanted what was left of her dignity.

My mother is currently terminally ill herself, and one day I know she’ll want to do the same, and I hope she has the strength of will to do it rather than suffer more than she already has. Now will I be able to assist my own mother with her death? I don’t think I could, but I would support her descision if that was her choice.

I hope you find peace. It takes tremendous strength to ease the suffering of others, but I think it would be harder to see your friend in so much pain and know that you could have eased the suffering. She was clearly lucid, and as the old saying goes: you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. You didn’t push her, and you didn’t make her take the bus. I should be so lucky to have a friend as devoted as you.

-Justin

I have had several friends who have attempted suicide. Some were “successful.” I have seen the pain in the eyes of their mothers and have myself felt lost and desperate at the mere thought of their feelings of loss and desperation.

This is not a story of a suicide. It is a potent call to re-open the debate on euthanasia. If she had had access to morphine there would have been no traumatized passers by or crime scene investigators. Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that there is a time when it is best to just ease the pain and end the suffering. Why can’t we exhibit the same care for our families and friends?

I am touched by the beauty, compassion, courage, and humanity expressed in this story. May we all find peace both in this life and the next.

We were all given free will.

Her friend confided in her, and trusted her enough with her wishes. I think that says alot about how she viewed her as friend. Would you really preffer that a loved one be reduced to a skeleton and be in a monumental amount of pain up until the end?

She did a brave thing, supporting her friend. I think it takes alot of guts to do something like that.

When animals are sick and in pain and we know they cannot be helped, we euthanize them. When humans are sick and in pain and we know they cannot be helped, we force them to suffer. We treat our animals better than we treat each other, and that is horrible. Carrie’s friend was in pain and had no hope of recovery. Helping her end her life in whatever manner she deemed fit was the brave and KIND thing to do.

You may not agree with the way Carrie’s friend took her life, you may not have done what Carrie did, but please open your minds and at least try to understand the reasoning behind it. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”