Take My Hand
EOL: Living Life to the Fullest
Welcome
Welcome to Take My Hand, an online resource for all those who find themselves confronted with end-of-life matters involving a terminal diagnosis and/or prognosis. I am a firm believer that, under these circumstances, time is of the essence. It is my hope to provide caregivers, loved ones and patients with the helpful insight, resources and tools to make the most of their time through the greatest challenge of a life journey.
As we close our eyes for the evening, I have a favor to ask. While we are all dealing with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our own personal and/or collective ways, please know that some families are also contending with some extremely challenging medical situations. While there are countless number of prayers and well wishes abound, far and wide, can you please include a message of hope in the coming days? Please… Read More
Melanie, the love of my life for 30 years, would always encourage me to continue to embrace life to the fullest, one day at a time, after her life journey came to an end. She would also tell me to be sure to find that “special” someone to continue sharing my life journey with. During our daily outings which included five mile “walks” although she was confined to a wheelchair, she would… Read More
“No one can stop a ticking clock. But the great ones…the great ones always find a way to slow it down.” Kevin Costner’s character, Sonny Weaver, Jr., makes this very insightful statement as the challenges of the day continued to pile up in the movie, “Draft Day.” As in life itself, especially following traumatic events such as being on the receiving end of a terminal diagnosis and prognosis, it is very easy… Read More
“When you love someone, you will do anything to keep them from dying,” said Shaun, the main character in the hit TV medical drama, “The Good Doctor,” when conversing with a fellow colleague following a sudden terminal diagnosis given to his mentor and good friend, Dr. Glassman, during an episode in Season 1. As I heard those hauntingly familiar words, my eyes began to water. It brought back vivid memories of the… Read More
While a living will or other documents may be in place, the following forms will enable you to provide emergency and/or medical personnel with a more concise and clear understanding of the TiLOs wishes should he/she be unable to communicate. Please make sure that the stated wishes of the TiLO are consistent with the content of the living will, should such a document exist. This will help to minimize any confusion should… Read More
As you read this particular blog post, please keep this very important point in mind: ~I am not giving up, we just need to prepare for every possible outcome.~ Now, before reading on please take a deep breath and try to clear your mind of all other issues or concerns for a moment. Without meaning to be overly dramatic, note that these particular steps can be very distressing in light of the… Read More
Based upon the nature of a terminal prognosis, generally speaking, the patient will more than likely die in six months or less regardless if they receive any form of treatment or not. This is a very important factor to consider when addressing the issue of conventional vs. alternative medicine options, quantity vs. quality of life, etc. Regardless as to which treatment options, if any, are chosen, it is important to keep in… Read More
‘Living while dying’ is a term or phrase that I have always used while caring for TiLOs (an acronym that I use to affectionately refer to “terminally-ill loved ones”) as a reminder to help them make the most of each day, one day at a time. As I have noted in a previous blog, the final life journey for each person may be very different compared to others depending upon a variety… Read More
Quality of Life refers to focusing on the palliative care aspects of a TiLOs daily life with any treatments limited to minimizing symptoms and discomforts including among other things pain management to maximize comfort. Quantity of life is essentially focusing on the extension of survivability of a TiLO by administering treatments in an effort to cure the underlying medical condition that warranted the terminal prognosis. Remember, a terminal illness, in medical terminology,… Read More
The Fourth District Court of Appeals in Riverside issued an immediate stay as of Friday, June 15th, which essentially puts California’s right-to-die-law for terminally ill patients back into effect. Just three short weeks ago, a Riverside County Superior Court judge had declared the law unconstitutional based upon the manner which the legislation was passed in a special session in 2015. The judge did not address the issue as to whether people should… Read More
Take My Hand 