Two Cases from Hospice NZ
Jamie Seymour
Hospice New ZealandToo many New Zealanders suffer needlessly when they don't receive quality palliative care. Consider some of the stories Hospice New Zealand has featured.
Megan and Gary Vale of Hibiscus Coast felt helpless when their two-year-old daughter, Casey, couldn't get quality palliative care when she suffered with a brain tumour.
The final straw came when Casey began vomiting and couldn't stop. Hospital doctors suggested another blood test, despite the fact Casey was already terminal. The Vales were eventually referred to Hibiscus Coast Hospice where a nurse was able to provide medication that stopped Casey's vomiting. One small tablet was all she needed.
Casey died a few days later, but she was happy and pain-free for the first time in many days. She died peacefully in her sleep.
Recently, we learned about a 17-year-old named Nick Flannery whose suffering was slow and painful as the result of his battle with cancer. Nick's mum, Amanda, recalls in the Southland Times how her son's body swelled "in a way that can only be described as cruel." Physically and emotionally, Nick's life was difficult every step of the way, and he certainly needed quality palliative care.
Caring for Nick at home grew tiring for Amanda, she admits. "Every aspect of his care took longer, became stressful and tiring. As Nick neared the end of his life, I felt pressured to have it end. I wanted it to end; to end his pain and suffering. As a nurse myself, I am aware that nurses are not immune to getting run down, especially in ongoing, emotionally draining situations."
Finally, Amanda says, her family made the decision to seek support from Hospice Southland in Invercargill.
"I simply felt I need more support than was available to us at home and felt I had no option but to resort to fulltime nursing care, which was available only at the hospice. It was at (Southland) hospice that I finally felt under no pressure for Nick's life to end and, sadly, that is exactly why we were there," Amanda said
She continues: "I guess I don't support euthanasia becoming legal because, as someone who has been there, I am aware of the pure exhaustion involved in looking after someone with a terminal illness and the potential to feel pressured into making decisions you are not ready for or happy about, just to ease the load for all concerned."
Hospice New Zealand's position [is] that if more people had access to quality palliative care, fewer people would seek euthanasia.
Stories about terminally ill people like Casey Vale and Nick Flannery ? people who have suffered from cancer and other diseases ? serve as reminders that euthanasia isn't the answer. This country must instead focus on providing palliative care that meets the needs of patients and their families.
www.hospice.org.nz