Humanity should be humane

Terminally ill patients left to die of dehydration!

Doesn't that strike you wrong? If a pet is sick or injured beyond recovery, we usually put them to sleep. Its the humane thing to down.. Right?

When the decision to remove life support is made, the family prepares themselves for their loved one to pass away soon after. But what happens when they don't?
Basically they are out on palliative "care".
Essentially left in a room without food or hydration until their body shuts down. This can literally take weeks! Its a terrible thing for anyone to go thru or watch.

If you believe we should be able to give mercy to loved ones at this time,
PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION
(Below is my families personal experience. If youre not into reading it just skip to the bottom and sign)

An unthinkable thought. A beloved member of the family, left in a room to slowly die. Necessities of life withdrawn.
Brain dead or dying from an accident, illness or otherwise. Body still holding on.

This can go on for days as they slowly dry up. I am sure you are thinking.
"Why not put them to sleep?"
"Help them to cross over quickly instead of a prolonged death."

That is exactly how the majority of people think. It is the humane way!
Why are we more humane to animals than we are to humans.
Not just any humans.
People we love.
People who brought us into this world.

I had no idea about this until now. As I sit by while my mom is drying up in a hospital bed.
Thinking the whole time
They are letting my mother dehydrate to death.
I am letting my mother dehydrate to death.

And im not even mad with the people who doing it.
I feel guilty, but I am not mad at myself
I'm ashamed of the system that has not addressed this.

MY ON EYE OPENING EXPERIENCE
10 days ago my mother had a major stroke. I didn't really recognize the severity of it at the time.
The following days consisted of MRI'S and keeping her sedated until they could stabilize her and diagnose her case.

I'm glad I was able to see her before the surgery. They removed a piece of her skill to reduce swelling from a bleed in her brain.
Seeing her afterwards I could see that my mom was no longer there. Her body was, but her spirit was already gone
No one should see their loved one like that. No one.
I knew at that time that she wasn't coming back. Hearing That the doctor wanted to have a family meeting the next day confirmed my thoughts.
I braced myself for the meeting with the doctor. I knew the news was not good.

The meeting went in the direction I had expected. We agreed that we didnt want to prolong the suffering any longer than necessary. (I say suffering but we have been assured she is very comfortable)
I knew making the decision with my family to remove life support would be difficult. We had agreed that she would have wanted that and wouldnt want to struggle any linger than neccesary.

We discussed organ donation. Gladly she had signed her donar card.
(PLEASE SIGN YOUR DONER CARDS)
We were told it would take 24 hours max for testing and finding recipients.
Waiting 24 hours seemed like a long time. But it was for an exceptional cause.

That night was the toughest. Knowing the next day I was going to say goodbye to my mom. That I would hold her hand as she passed away before me.
It really hit me then, I basically knew the approximate time my mom was going to die and I had all night to think about it.

You prepare yourself for the worst leading up to the moment. Wondering if you even want to be there. Will the events of death be traumatizing. Do you want the final memories of someone you love to consist of The bodies natural reflexes, sounds, as the body malfunctions and stops working?

These are all thoughts Spin in your mind the night before. They're mixed in with good memories of the person you knew. Times You shared together, all resentment gone. Knowing the approximate time that a piece of you will no longer be there.

The next day came, we were put in a private room. Her husband Mark, my sister Jennifer and myself. The nurses were friendly and reassuring. The hospital staff was great All the way along.
They removed all life support and....
Well...
She didn't pass away as expected. We had braced ourselves for that moment since the day before.
She breathed on her own almost better than she had while she was on the ventilator.

It was a very strange atmosphere in that room for the next 4 hours.
Every movement we huddled in closer, every change in breathing thinking it would be her last.

We All were in new territory. A roller coaster mix of emotions. Hopes that she would live and recover, had now turned into prayers for her to pass quickly and peacefully.
She didn't tho. Stubborn as she's always been, she wasn't ready to let go.

My brother and I visited with her the following day. They had changed rooms. Another private room in another floor.
I noticed the salene IV was gone now.
They've stopped giving anything to sustain life.
We had asked multiple staff if there was anything to help her along. To help her calmly pass.
They explained that the laws in canada simply hadn't reached that yet.

I could see by the look in the eyes of Every nurse and professional.
They see this everyday. I could see the hurt and personal morals they were breaking. Putting up a professional front, meanwhile disagreeing with the system. Swallowing their personal beliefs to uphold to a standard they do not believe in.
I didnt even realize the scale of guilt that What was to come in the following days

I was disappointed at that time, But to find out that this is common practice. Letting people die by simply neglecting to provide the necessities of life. Starve them and let them dehydrate to death. It sank in more and more everyday. I am so bewildered. HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?

I am the type of person that cannot go past a strangers house plant that needs water and not water it. Let alone sit by while my mom is starved of water and food until her body shuts down.
I literally feel guilty taking a sip of water, knowing what she is going thru right now.

108 hours since life support was removed.
108 hours since she has had food or hydration.
I've always heard the human body can survive 72 hours without water.

Please mom I love you, just let go.

With the leaps and bounds of human civilization. Our technology, medicine, research; this is the solution?
To let the patient sit for 3 days or more without food and water until they dehydrate to death?

If a dog was injured in a way that he would not recover. People would be outraged if we just left it in a cage without food and water to die.

We put our pets to sleep when they have reached the end of their lives.
It is calm, peaceful and they simply drift away.

As I sit here and write this, My mother is on day 4 of removing life support.
She is still holding strong. But it is tearing me up inside knowing that she is currently drying up in a hospital bed and that THIS is somehow an acceptable or even humane way of sending our loved ones to peace.

Just know that if you or a loved one is ever in a traumatic accident or has a stroke that leaves them brain dead.
This is what you can expect.
Kind of a sick thought?
If you agree. Lets make a change.

SOLUTION
There are millions of people out there that have problems and complaints. Rarely do they follow up with a solution.

Here is the solution.

Once a person is put on "end of life care"
The family and doctors have withdrawn life support. The family or as dictated in a will, should be able to request medical assistance to help them pass peacefully.

When the family wishes to remove life support and assist their loved one into the afterlife
2 attending physicians and 1 anonymous Specialist must sign the order. Confirming from a medical stand point that continuing medical assistance would prolong the inevitable or that the patient would not live a functional life..

3 nurses each inject a needle into the patient's IV. They are indistinguishable, 2 are filled with saline 1 is filled with what is needed to stop the heart. Done this way So that there is no fault, guilt or remorse for the nurses.

No one should feel what I am feeling, what my sister, brother or her husband is feeling.
Prolonging this is inhumane and I'm ashamed our society has not made changes to this.

The only way to identify is to put yourself in that position.

Imagine your loved one in that position.
Drying up on a hospital bed. .

Change likely wont come in time to help my mom. But if we put a little effort into making it so there is at least an available option in the case that you or a loved one is ever in the position we are in right now.

I dont wish this feeling of guilt on anyone. We should be celebrating her life right now. Instead it has turned into a nightmare.
I wouldnt wish that on my enemy. I know this will not make a difference in time to help my mother. I hope that the laws have changed before I am ever in that predicament. I can't imagine how it is ok to let a human being dehydrate to death but we can not assist them to pass on peacefully. Again, compare it to if it was an animal. Then maybe you can understand the cruelty level.

**update**
Today is day 7. I went in to visit her last night. I wish I hadn't. I will spare the details, even tho I shouldn't. Everyone should knew exactly what horrors to expect. Its a hush hush topic that no one wants to talk about.
What is taking place in that room is nothing less than mortifying. I will be emotionally scared.
I was informed some patients can go weeks in this condition.
Please share this, get awareness out to everyone.

FINAL UPDATE.
Thankfully my mother finally let go this morning. 9 days 16 hours after removing life support. I am relieved, but I will continue this educational crusade to make people aware of the reality of Pallitive "care" and the horrible reality of watching a loved one die of neglect.