Nurse Jordan

I am spending a few days in beautiful snowy mountains. Our host shared his story of the miracles of modern medicine. He had open heart surgery to replace a valve. Because of complications during the surgery, he was in a coma after the surgery. Tests showed that he still had brain activity, and he was in good health before the surgery. Fortunately, his advanced directive guided his wife in what they should do next. He was in a coma for four days before he awoke. He also had suffered a small stroke after the surgery. Now, after some physical therapy, he is living a normal life, full of activity, like Nordic skiing. His medical care helped him survive the complications of surgery, and his advanced directive guided the medical team and his wife to continue life support, because he did not have severe brain damage.

On the other hand, another friend (that I will call Jane) shared the story of her mother’s death last year. Jane’s mother, at an advanced age, developed a terminal disease. She ended her days in the hospital, unable to breathe on her own. She was on a ventilator for ten days before she died. Jane now realizes how unnecessary and traumatic it was for her mother and the whole family. She has two siblings and it was very difficult for them to make decisions about her mother’s care. Their mother had no advanced directive, and they did not know what she wanted to do. There was no hope that she would get better. Jane really felt that her mother should have let them know what she wanted before the family had to make end-of-life decisions. Leaving your family to make these decisions can be very cruel. Advanced directives are only used when you are unable to make your own decisions, and they clarify your wishes for your loved ones.