Sonnet XXX: Love, dignity, and dying.
All of us in medicine who care for patients who are chronically critically ill, dying of incurable illnesses, will be faced with discussions about the value of their lives and about the appropriateness of ongoing supportive care. Such discussions are good and true, and they must always be done within the context of the sanctity of every human life and the promise of God that we are His children, each and every one of us. In this article, I explore the end-of-life path of a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the courageous faith that she demonstrated in the face of her illness. I explore with you, the reader, the hard-core conversations that took place at her bedside and their meaning in light of Catholic moral teaching. This story is not meant to indicate that we should always do all interventions at all times for all patients. That would be a teaching counter toEvangelium vitae. This story is meant to help you think through the path of your patients and of you as a physician or other type of healthcare professional in serving your patients.Primum non nocere. Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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ALS; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Dignity; EOL; End of life; Euthanasia; Hippocratic Oath; Lou Gehrig's disease; Love; Mechanical ventilation; Physician-assisted suicide; Redemptive suffering