Euthanasia?!?

My Uncle died today- he was 51 years old, a very healthy man (except for the obvious), had three children 19, 25, 27 and lived a fairly happy carefree life. About a year ago he was diagnosed with cancer in one lung- they operated but pretty soon it had spread through his lungs, kidneys and brain. We have been expecting this for a while though none of us really expected it so soon. On monday night, he had a brain haemmorage and it all sort of spiraled down hill for him from there.

He had been unconscious since tuesday morning but his heart was still going. They offered him smaller doses of medication to prolonge his life (though he may of been in some pain) or they could remove his feeding tube, give him higher doses of medication and then finally they removed his liquid tube.

My confusion is this: is this a form of Euthanasia??? They did NOT AT ANY POINT give him a lethal dose of Morphine- but how long might he have lived if he had food and water?

I am also confused because his whole family was ready- they were exhausted, stressed and stretched beyond belief and were ready for him to go. As a Christian, I am dead set against Euthanasia, and seeing the process that my cousins and Aunty went through convinces me further that Euthanasia is not the right thing to do, but what about this situation- he could have lived in pain for longer (I dont know), what about those people who turn off life support machines- is this Euthanasia?

I guess my ramblings are a way of trying to sort all of this out in my head- I have grown up in a family that believes that as long as you do not hurt other people, then if it feels right- do it. We have been discussing things like Euthanasia and abortion and stuff, and my family knows where I stand on these issues, they believe that if it is right for you and your specific circumstances then act appropriately for you.

This belief stretches into most areas of their lives and in general they are not judgemental about anyone. It seems to work in general, though as a Christian I think it is important to make certain judgements about our own lives and the lives of other Christians- what I find difficult to understand (and this probably stems from a very free upbringing) is why we as Christians insist on trying to enforce our views on non- Christians,. Like the issue of Homosexual couples (yes I am stemming into dangerous ground now) I mean I know what the Bible says about it and I know what is expected of Christians, but what I do not know is why we are placing judgement on Non Christians who dont really believe in or care about God. It would be a fantastic world if everyone was a Christian and we all had similar biblical beliefs, but the truth of it is that at the moment- we are not living in a Christian world.

Anyway, I have gone through many muddled up ramblings tonight and am absolutley no clearer on anything and have more than likely confused anyone and everyone who happens to stumble across this blog, but TOO BAD!

Let me know what you think (and please feel free to disagree and argue with me)

What to do

Many of you know that my uncle is dying- it is most likely to happen today or tomorrow so I am spending a lot of time with my Aunty and cousins. It has really made me think- there haven’t been many opportunities to talk to my Uncle (I am not really close to my Uncle) but I am thinking a lot about speaking to my cousins (now IS NOT THE TIME) about Jesus- they must be thinking about their own mortality as they face the death of their father. I spent today with them and I felt completely useless- all I could do was to hug them and hold them- I didn’t know what to say- I don’t think it was appropriate to say anything at all- I did a lot of cleaning and household stuff and cooked a bit for them (they do not have time to do anything like that) but aside from that I was stuck. I have no idea what they are going through- and I hope I don’t have to go through an experience like that. He has been unwell for about a year (Cancer) but is not in any pain at the moment and is heavily doped up on Morphine- the doctor thinks it can only be a few days at the absolute outside as there is no feeding tube attached- his brain haemorrhaged yesterday and he is barely conscious.

If anyone has any advice for me please let me know- I am at a complete loss

Movement

Well the decision has been made- I am moving back home to my mam’s house- Whew. I am not at all sure if it is a great idea or not- I don’t think it is a bad move. My problem is that I have gotten very used to living on my own and I am not sure I can live with someone else anymore- I guess I will find out.

There are certainly many advantages to living at home. My mam is a clean freak (and those of you who know me may scoff at the idea)- I on the other hand am one of the messiest people I know- so enforced cleanliness is a good thing. Home cooking is another bonus- that doesn’t mean that mam is going to cook but when there is more than one person it is easier to cook actual meals instead of eating 2 minute noodles and stuff.

The disadvantages are that it will limit my space and privacy, I will be further away from Wollongong and there may be complications with car pooling. Also mam is not a huge fan of animals so my kitten will have to learn to be an outdoor cat.

All this is a moot point as the decision has been made and will be carried out within the month- hey- maybe it is an excuse to have a party???!!!???

I HATE BEING SICK!!!!!

I hate being sick (did you get that from the title?) I am not good at it as it requires me to be still, quiet and BORED! I had today off from school as being around my class when I am not well is yucky and with half of my kids sick, I thought it wise. I am however going back to school tommorrow and on the weekend I am Role playing at my friends house (Matt is running it) I am not sure I am cut out for role playing- I have a very vivid imagination but am not very good at expressing them in a group- I think it is facinating to watch though and would love one day to see really experienced players do it (as long as I didnt have to participate!!!)

Sorry to my Bible study for ditching them on tuesday night but I was so tired I just slept.

I dont have anything important to say but decided I was bored of looking at the same blog all the time so decided anything was better than nothing