Yesterday I posted a memorial to my cousin http://www.dailykos.com/... , who recently fell into a coma due to complications resulting from her having survived hodgkins disease http://en.wikipedia.org/... and then contracted streptococcus pneumoniae http://en.wikipedia.org/... , which profoundly damaged her lungs in a matter of hours.
Today I received news that has made the situation that much worse.
The news has come rapidly, starting with the bad: it was discovered that she had had a stroke in the past year, leaving her brain already damaged.
Then came the worse: she had also had a heart attack, untreated, leaving some of her heart incapable of pumping desperately needed oxygen to the rest of her body, especially her brain.
Then came the worst case scenario: her body, blazing with fever, is now defeating the streptococcus pneumoniae, but the doctors have verified that only the most basic parts of her brain, the cerebellum http://en.wikipedia.org/... , have survived the depletion of oxygen she experienced. Within a week her body will probably be strong enough to breath on its own. This has set up the possibility of an awful Schiavo-esque situation in which her body will live for as long as she is fed.
The family has not been able to find a living will, because of her long history of poor health there are several places to look. A blank living will was found in her home, but that's all we have so far. The diverse religious beliefs of my family has set up the possibility of conflict. That's why I've posted another diary on my cousin's condition, and added a poll, which I hope will act as a push-poll to convince even a few people to consider the terrible possibility that their family may have to make this decision for them.
I hope you all can take a moment, consider the living, the dead, and the possibility of a twilight state somewhere between the two. And make a decision for yourself, and your family. http://en.wikipedia.org/...
A few more words about my cousin. She taught in an extremely tough inner-city gradeschool. Personally, I don't think she'd want to go on like this; she was a doer, a bright light, an energetic and irrepressible communicator.
My sister was surprised I posted about her here because, as my sister put it "she thinks she's a Republican because she thinks they're better for schools." I responded that she lived like a progressive, teaching where she did, and that the Kos community only cared that a good person was lost to us. You all make me proud.
I won't be posting within the comments here, this is too close, to awful, to accept tips for. Thank you again for taking the time to read these diaries.