I’m glad we didn’t take the doctors’ advice to pull plug
Re: “Life’s end family’s call: court” (Gazette, Oct. 19)
Just a few weeks ago, my family was put in a situation similar to that of the family of Hassan Rasouli. My father suffered a massive stroke and bleeding in the brain, and three days after the surgery the doctor’s exact words were “he is in stable condition, but he is 80 years old and God is calling him” — basically, time to pull the plug. We were told that he would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life and would have no quality of life.
We told the doctor: “You do your job and let God do his.”
Over the next few weeks, we met with many ICU doctors and nurses who treated my father in the best way possible for recovery, but warned us “there are no miracles in medicine” and basically repeated what the original doctor had said. We kept insisting: “You don’t know my father: he is strong-willed and stubborn; he can beat this.” Again, they all leaned toward pulling the plug.
I consulted with a friend of mine who is a trauma surgeon (to whom I owe eternal gratitude) and he is the only one who gave us hope, telling us that although he may be paralyzed on one side, he will still be responsive and have a quality of life, but it will be a long road to recovery.
Now, seven weeks later, my father has stunned the doctors and nurses. He is alert, responsive and even smiles at my silly jokes. Yes, he does have his days when he seems depressed and is unresponsive, but when we gather by his side and show our love and support, his mood is quickly lifted.
Had we listened to the doctors, my father would have never had the chance to recover. We are in it for the long haul, but yes, there are miracles!