Dying mom pleads for medical aid-in-dying law

Ido not want to die. But cancer is killing me. As I am dying, I am dedicating my last months or weeks of life to speak out publicly to inform my fellow Nevadans that our laws will force me to die in pain.

That is why I urge our lawmakers to pass legislation to allow terminally ill Nevadans to have the option to obtain a doctor’s prescription for medication they can decide to take if their suffering becomes unbearable, so they can die peacefully in their sleep, not painfully.

Currently, Washington, D.C. and 10 states, representing one out of five U.S. residents (22%), allow medical aid in dying: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state. Nevada is not one of them. Fortunately, the Legislature is considering a compassionate bill, the End of Life Options Act, that would provide this option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill individuals, so they can decide how and when they die when death is inevitable.

To have this end-of-life care option in Nevada would mean the world to me and my family, and to terminally ill Nevadans who already know that their life is ending.

Unfortunately, given my rapidly declining health, it is unlikely that I will be alive when this bill becomes law. But I remain hopeful that it will be an option, if not for me then for countless others.

In February 2021, I was enjoying a skiing trip with my husband when suddenly I came down with an upset stomach. I assumed it was just food poisoning because my doctor said my annual physical six months earlier seemed perfect.

After we returned from our trip, a CT scan confirmed what we never imagined: advanced pancreatic cancer.

I started chemotherapy immediately. Then I endured a complex and debilitating surgery and a clinical trial. Throughout the various treatments, I experienced vomiting, body aches, never-ending fatigue and hair loss.

Despite the treatments, with all their exhausting effects, the cancer came roaring back with a vengeance. I now have metastatic pancreatic cancer, stage 4.

Currently, I am undergoing palliative chemotherapy. My doctors say it will somewhat improve my quality of life and possibly give me a bit more time before I start hospice. Hospice is a wonderful option at the end of life but one that cannot always guarantee a death without pain.

As a Christian, I’m not afraid of where I’m going after I die. My faith is deeply rooted in God.

What scares me is dying in pain and leaving my children so early in their lives. It’s unfair to force my family to watch me die in the kind of pain pancreatic cancer so often causes.

What mother doesn’t want to be around to be a part of her kids’ lives and support them through the good and the tough times? I will not get the opportunity to see all my kids get married, cheer them on at their college graduations, or hold my grandchildren.

I am dying — and sooner than any of us would like.

And so I am urging members of the Legislature, although I might not be alive to see the outcome of this bill, to listen to my story.

This is not a politically risky issue. A 2021 national and regional survey by a top-rated multistate pollster, Susquehanna Polling & Research, shows that 67% of U.S. residents and 62% of western state residents, including Nevada, would want the option of medical aid in dying if they had an incurable terminal illness.

Nevada Lawmakers have the power to grant or reject the last wish of terminally ill Nevadans like me who want this end-oflife care option.

I urge them to think about their terminally ill constituents.

Think about their pain.

Think about their suffering.

My family and I should not have to go through additional, unnecessary pain and suffering. I don’t believe God asks for that from those of us in this position.

God does not want his children to suffer. So why should we allow it as a society?