title: Extreme measures: a personal story of letting go.
abstract: The decision to withdraw life support from a loved one, especially in the absence of an advance directive, can be complicated and painful. This article is the author's personal account of her brother's brain injury, his resulting condition, and the choice made to allow his death. In addition, the author discusses how this experience affected her perspective on Terri Schiavo's death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-4301, USA. crow.laura@gmail.com
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000523:psychology*; D012297:Right to Die / Q000941:ethics*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics; D014481:United States