Until her dying breath, Andrea maintained that she had been unjustly denied her rights over her own life, her own body, and her own death.
Andrea
Andrea moved to Alaska as a child, then built a career in Information Technology and raised her daughter in Fairbanks. In her early 40’s, Andrea was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer. From that day forward, she told everyone (friends, family, spouse, healthcare providers) that she wanted control over her own life, her own body, and her own death. She refused to let cancer dictate her life or to take it. However, she did let a grueling chemo regimen control the last 3 years of her life, completing 52 rounds, which involved a lot of suffering and sacrifice. But she said it was worth it if it gave her even one more day with her loved ones. Part of her treatment was done in Seattle where she learned about Washington’s Death with Dignity Law. She made arrangements to go through the necessary steps to become eligible to access that law, but then COVID hit. Seattle became overwhelmed and doctors advised Andrea and her loved ones to avoid traveling.
Trapped in Alaska during 2020, Andrea was forced into exactly the scenario she had wanted to prevent as her plan to legally end her suffering humanely evaporated. Meanwhile, her cancer had completely taken over her GI tract, from mouth to anus, which rendered all oral and rectal medication useless because they could not be absorbed. Intravenous pain management was the only option that would have worked in that situation, but it was not allowed for in-home hospice patients at that time. Without an in-patient option to receive IV pain medication, nor a legal option to end her pain, Andrea was forced to endure inhumane suffering while her loved ones watched. This put both Andrea and her family in an impossible position. It also put hospice staff in an impossible position because they were not legally allowed to use a feasible means of controlling at least some of Andrea’s pain, nor to facilitate her death, even though that was what Andrea desperately needed and wanted. As Andrea pointed out, we treat our pets with more dignity and respect than we treat ourselves. We would never allow our pet to suffer the way we force humans to suffer. Rather, we do the humane thing to end suffering. Andrea asked her nurse, “Why can’t I get the same respect as a dog?”
Until her dying breath, Andrea maintained that she had been unjustly denied her rights over her own life, her own body, and her own death. Andrea was adamant that she wanted to prevent her loved ones from being forced to repeat her experience, so she asked that they leave Alaska until a MAID option becomes law. She said, “If you are ever in my shoes, I want you to have the option that I was denied.”
Everyone deserves a good death. Let’s ensure that all Alaskans are given their rights to choose for themselves.
If you want to learn more about Andrea’s experience, please visit her spouse’s author website here.