Paralyzed deer hunter chooses to end life support

[mck16]

I once Private Duty nursed a man in his 50s who was a C-5 - C-6 quad for almost 25 yrs. as a result of a car accident. He had his own addition built onto the family home, paid for by the insurance company. He had nurses or nurses aides 24/7.

This man had optimal care and an optimal living situation. He had a loving and supportive family. He was a smart guy and had a pretty darn good sense of humor. We got along well.

It is not a life that I can imagine anyone wanting to live.

My little cousin suffered a terrible injury when she was a senior in high school. She was a cheerleader and at a game one night they were doing the pyramid and she fell off the top. Not sure what she broke but she was paralyzed totally from the neck down.

She was in the hospital on a ventilator for several weeks. One day she told her mother she was tired and she wanted to go to Heaven so she could see her grandparents and run and walk with her granddaddy. She was 18 and made this decision on her own. Her parents honored that decision and they let her out of her prison. She is now in a place where she can walk, she can breathe on her own, she can feed herself, and she can be happy. Kicker is, when she was 6 years old, she beat a kidney cancer that was 100% fatal. She went to MD Anderson and underwent horrible chemo treatments, but she survived only to die 12 years later in a cheerleading accident. We never know what life is going to deal us. She will never be forgotten and I am proud she was my little cousin.

 

[FrayedKnot]

I do, too. But the original link made it sound like they woke him up and said "You're paralyzed from the neck down--do you want to live?" Almost anyone's first reaction would be "No."

Just to be clear, I support the right of anyone to take his/her own life. But if s/he is to be enabled by family and medical personnel, then I want to be sure the patient is making a clear and informed choice.

And, personally, I don't put a lot of stock in what he said before or what I might say right now. It's easy to choose death when you think the issue will never arise.

IDK. I pretty much think I would rally through anything to see my child being born.

But his experience is not mine. Maybe he did not know how much he would love his child. And so his own life was not so important to him.

Sad either way

 

[FrayedKnot]

I once Private Duty nursed a man in his 50s who was a C-5 - C-6 quad for almost 25 yrs. as a result of a car accident. He had his own addition built onto the family home, paid for by the insurance company. He had nurses or nurses aides 24/7.

This man had optimal care and an optimal living situation. He had a loving and supportive family. He was a smart guy and had a pretty darn good sense of humor. We got along well.

It is not a life that I can imagine anyone wanting to live.

My boyfriend in my early 20's was a C-5 quad. He is an architectural draftsman and was able to live on his own. Yes, he lived in a wheelchair and had to use catheters to relieve himself. Sometimes he would defecate in bed accidentally which would embarrass him terribly but I didn't care. He was a smart and funny guy with talent. It was no worse to me than if I got my period unexpectedly. Big deal.
He was 16 when his accident happened. He was 24 when we met. I am grateful that HE thought he wanted to live. I guess you can't judge until you live it. This man has had a very fulfilling life.

 

[Hope32]

My boyfriend in my early 20's was a C-5 quad. He is an architectural draftsman and was able to live on his own. Yes, he lived in a wheelchair and had to use catheters to relieve himself. Sometimes he would defecate in bed accidentally which would embarrass him terribly but I didn't care. He was a smart and funny guy with talent. It was no worse to me than if I got my period unexpectedly. Big deal.
He was 16 when his accident happened. He was 24 when we met. I am grateful that HE thought he wanted to live. I guess you can't judge until you live it. This man has had a very fulfilling life.

C5 C6 injuries are much more functional than a C4 or higher. If he was indeed C4 and higher he more than likely wouldn't have been able to breath on his own and need a ventilator. He would probably be more functioning than say Christopher Reeves (C1-C2 crushed injury). Also if he was out there for 5 hours with the injury he more than likely had much more damage to his spinal cord and less likely to regain full recovery. The sooner the medical treatment the less time the spinal cord is without blood and the less damage that is incurred from the injury.. Time is of the essence. If this is true that he was out there for that long I believe he was well aware of what his life may have been like and had some time to go over his decisions and choices.. The lower the injury the better but from what I know about neuroanatomy it seems as though he may have been higher up and therefore his recovery may have been hampered.

 

[SweetT]

One of my dearest friends son was paralyzed from the neck down due to an accident that occured in wrestling in a match at his high school.
I thank God every day that he lived and has had a full life. He has been wheelchair bound, but has went to college and does motivational speaking and counseling for young kids. He is married and has a job and does well for himself and his wife.
I guess life is what you make of it, but MAN he sure made me cry like a baby at his motivational speech that he gave for our work. His mother had to have been the proudest woman alive that day. I know I felt humbled, truly humbled.

 

[Sonya610]

He is married and has a job and does well for himself and his wife.

I am guessing your friend is NOT a quadriplegic but a paraplegic. Huge HUGE difference. One has upper body movement and mobility and can work and do things for themselves and such; the other is paralyzed from the neck down and can do NOTHING for themselves, not even wipe their own behinds.

Huge difference and HUGE different life expectancy both in quality of life and in years.

 

[SweetT]

I am guessing your friend is NOT a quadriplegic but a paraplegic. Huge HUGE difference. One has upper body movement and mobility and can work and do things for themselves and such; the other is paralyzed from the neck down and can do NOTHING for themselves, not even wipe their own behinds.

Huge difference and HUGE different life expectancy both in quality of life and in years.

He is quadriplegic yes. Cannot wipe himself, spent yrs with in home nurses 24/7. Had a computer made with voice activation etc. He still relies on his wife now and I'm sure some nurses but he had some tools/equipment adjusted to do things with his mouth etc. He does need help, but he has accomplished alot.

I can PM you his name if you have questions for him about how he did things, He'd probably love to hear from you, he is a motivational speaker and counsels children. That was last I knew, don't know what he is doing now as he and his wife moved to Colorado to be closer to his doctors and I think that was where his new job was also.