This was in the ‘90’s.
My grandfather was highly accomplished and completely in charge of his mental and physical facilities; at the same time, Grandad knew he was not just in his early 80’s; he was OLD (he’d had a freak medical event at 75 that had nothing to do with age; but, it aged him many years; he had a staph infection abscess in his 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae, pinching off his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down. Major neck surgery, months of hospitalization, and huge amounts of occupational and physical therapy and he walked out of North Carolina Memorial Hospital six months later).
Grandad and I backpacked together through his 70th year. These weren’t day hikes…….these were many miles per day carrying our tent, food, cooking equipment, sleeping bags, etc. in New York’s High Peaks. Point being, Grandad was an active, healthy guy.
When he was 83, he woke up….paralyzed from the neck down. After an hour or two, most things were working again. He got up to pee and grab a bite to eat. He took a nap. He woke up….surprised that “EVERYTHING WORKED, EVERYTHING!” Emphasis on EVERYTHING.
The next time he woke up, paralyzed. Again, that went away. Woke up again, EVERYTHING worked. This went on for a day or so.
Grandad had been charting his “progress” for years - which was really his decline.
This erratic behavior was not good in his mind. He knew he was 83 and old. He knew improvement was unlikely.
He wasn’t willing to wake up paralyzed and unable to speak and live that way for weeks or months or years.
So, he called my Dad, his eldest child, and who also lived in Chapel Hill. Both Ph.D scientists and accomplished, logical people.
Grandad told Dad what he planned to do. Cease eating food and consuming fluids…..that he would be able to control his life that way.
Dad (and Mom) supported Grandad’s decision. Most of the family supported the decision.
I was climbing in Colorado and flew in soon enough to have a good conversation with my Grandad.
That not eating and not drinking was the self-euthanizia option to my Grandad in 1995 is sad.
Grandad ceased eating and consuming fluids Sunday…..he died 7 days later. It was not a painless, easy way to die.
My mother has Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration, not much bladder control…..maybe none. She’s not far into Alzheimer’s…..but, it’s there.
She’d commit suicide tonight if she could. She’s vocalized that for over a year. She doesn’t have Grandad’s ability to cease eating and drinking; the Alzheimer’s is sufficient enough that she couldn’t stop eating and drinking…..she couldn’t do X for 24-48 hours.
She’s 85 and has led an excellent life. She’ll die in the horrible circumstances of Alzheimer’s.
www.nytimes.com
