Well, Jay, I am so very sorry to read this post. But I so admire, more than mere words can convey, your honesty and courage . All of us tend to proclaim something like , “ I will choose to stop treatments and die rather then face a slow, lingering death “, but I am not sure how many of us would follow up on that wish, when we really have to choose and act.

I will share this with you: 20 years ago , my father, then 82, chose to stop doing dialysis. For two years it had made him wretched 3 times a week, and he knew it would never end. The dialysis kept him alive, but it made him feel miserable every day.

He decided he would stop, although he knew to do so would lead to death in a few weeks.

He had about a week of pain free days, feeling so happy with his decision. Then he went into hospice, went into a deep, unbroken sleep for about 4 days, and passed very quietly. I was heartbroken to lose him, but also very proud of him for his unflinching courage to decide his own end.

Words don’t really ever quite have the power we hope they will, no matter how deep or sincere our emotions. So I will just end by saying I hope you and your wife enjoy your trip and that you will find many, many moments of beauty and love as you follow your chosen path.