Living Wills & DNR

Living Wills and DNR rrom a Christian Perspective

    And a great crowd was following Him because they had seen the signs (miracles) which He [continually] performed upon those who were sick. (John 6: 2, New Living Translation)

    I have personally experienced what it feels like to deal with a living will and a DNR orders so I will share what it was like for me from a personal stand point.

     In the year 2000, my husband (at the time) was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  He had a golf ball size tumor that was wrapped around his carotid artery. It was determined it was inoperable due to the risks. We had no choice but to face the issues of signing a DNR and a living will.

     The stress and shock that I as well as my husband was under were intense. I was faced with dealing with the future loss of my husband and our four year old daughter losing her Daddy. We had never talked about these issues because it was not something most people in their 30’s and 40’s think about discussing.

     I will tell you from going through this traumatic experience that waiting to discuss these matters during a time of crisis is not a wise choice. I am now an advocate who encourages the open discussion of such issues.  There is a time to be born and there is a time to die and it is inevitable for all of us.  It is much better to discuss and make these decisions when you are clear headed and not under duress.

     Even though my husband signed a living will and was considered terminally ill the doctors who treated him did not rely on it and did not therefore write him off. I was surprised as I read the living will that is in our textbook because it brought back memories that I had forgotten about.

     The Living Will clearly states that “I direct my attending physician to withhold or withdraw treatment that merely prolongs my dying…[and then lists] due to a terminal condition..[and then states], I do not want tube feeding and antibiotics” (Feldman, 2008). The reason rereading this surprised me is because this is the same document my husband signed but the doctors decided to do treatments that helped him anyway.  Had they strictly relied and gone by the words that his signature confirmed, “Miracle Mike”, as he is called would not be living today!

     We prayed about the situation and the master physician spoke through the 4 year old daddy’s girl. When he explained he was dying and going to heaven she wanted to know if she could go with him and even promised to be a good girl.  When he explained that she couldn’t go with him, she stood straight up and in the most adult like voice said well then, “Daddy, Don’t Give Up!”. At that very moment we knew God used this adorable angel to send us a miracle message.

     The terminal cancer is no longer terminal, in fact it is gone and 8 years later, Michael is being used by God to spread His Message. This scripture is fitting, “and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” (John 6:2, New International Version).  Miracle Mike is a living miraculous sign of how God stills perform miracles on the sick and heals them for his purpose.

     This is a Message that I share and will continue to share when I am counseling that will not only give hope but will attest to the fact that proper planning is the wise thing to do, but God is in ultimate control and it is His Will not one’s Living Will that will be. 

 

Author's Note

Written for a Human Development class my first semester of Grad School at Liberty University.