Of ilnesses and death

As a routine, I read every top news on Yahoo! before I go to bed. Sometimes I can find one or two interesting articles I really want to give my opinion on but I rarely have the chance since I am always either too tired or too busy to do that. 

Anyway, I found an article which headline is "Americans are treated, and overtreated, to death". Basically, the article is about how a lot of sick people and their families overtreating their illnesses, even though the doctors say they are incurable. Sometimes it's the patients themselves who insist upon the treatments, but more often it's the families who can't let go.


It is very difficult when you find out that your loved ones get one of those scary illnesses. You fear for the worst; you are worried for them and you want to make sure they don't suffer much.


Death is one scary word for most people. Heck, even I think it is scary. To think that we will leave this world we know; that we will leave people we love; that we will be gone forever - well, that is enough to freak me out. But then again, is it really the people who leave who feel the fear? If you think so, then you are wrong. When you're gone, you're gone - hopefully to a better place - you no longer have any business with this present world.


It is those who are left behind who are afraid. I often imagine how my life would be if someday my mother passed away. 'Will I be able to cope?', 'Will I be able to move on?', 'Will I be able to take care of everything?'. Those are some the questions I'm sure everyone asks themselves when they deal with the death of a loved one. It is not wrong to think it or feel afraid. It's just normal. 


So, back to the overtreating topic: Do you think it's the patients or the families who 'benefit' more from the long term treatments? 

In my opinion, the prolonged treatments are usually useless for the patients. They only make them suffer longer, draining their energy, draining their lives.

Those treatments are made for the family members' peace of mind. Let's think about it; what would you feel if someone you love is dying and you don't give them the best treatments they can get? Guilty, I'm sure. And when all the best treatments fail, what would you feel? I bet the wave of fear would overcome you. You are afraid to let go. And that's why... you can't stop yourself from trying new medicine, new treatments. Because you don't want to let go. Why do you think the patients keep on going, even after they feel too tired to go on fighting? For you - the family. 

Here is where the focus changes: the patients are no longer important; YOU become the important one - you and your fear of losing people you care about. 

Now tell me, are we that selfish? 


If one day I get so ill, I don't want to spend my last days in a hospital bed with tubes everywhere and needles poking into my skin. No. I want to spend my time somewhere peaceful - no doctors, no nurses, no nothing. There is a very slim possibility that people will do as I wish, but if they do, I'll make sure I'll tell them in the end that they do the right thing; that they don't steal my last lime light.