Finish Strong, Putting YOUR Priorities First at Life’s End, is a journey of the painstaking persistence, dedication, and love of Author, Barbara Coombs Lee and the team of leaders and volunteers of CompassionandChoices.org. Through heart-warming and heart-breaking stories of those who helped further the mission of CHOICES at the end of life, we learn that this is no longer a world where Doctor Knows Best.
The author’s extensive experience in the medical field (nurse, PA, clinician, heart specialist) and study of the law and all-around advocate for Medical Aid in Dying, Death with Dignity, Compassion and Dying and Compassion and Choices, led to a book of invaluable insight, incredible warmth, and a depth of understanding about life and death far greater than most of us. This book is a must-have for everyone because everyone must become an advocate for his or her own life.
With sincere appreciation, Lee explains that the medical field is doing what it was taught to do: maintain lives-period. Doctors weren’t taught to discern between living and the quality of one’s life and that isn’t theirs to do anyway. Doctors aren’t to blame for the technological advances in medicine that make their valiant efforts (at least for those who are advocating for themselves or their loved ones and are determined to die a comfortable death) more like torture.
Our fee-for-service medical model encourages physicians to perform procedure after procedure, order tests and more tests, and perform invasive surgeries – regardless of their likelihood to restore health and well-being. Doctors are human and no compassionate individual wants to deliver the hard truths. We have to let our doctors and nurses and everyone close to us know our opinions on this very personal subject of end of life choices. WE have to tell our medical providers what we want, whether that is sugar-coated, or cut-to-the-chase, give me the bottom line, Doc.
Some people want their physicians to pull out all the stops, to try anything and everything to keep them alive. That is their right and is exactly as it should be.
Others want to define what their quality of life looks like; they want to determine if a marginal existence is acceptable or if they want to live their remaining days, months or years with all the gusto they’ve got until that final breath. And this is as it should be.
This book is a MASTERPIECE of understanding humanity’s strengths and weaknesses. When we are faced with a terminal illness, we should be able to choose the kind of death we want after living the kind of life we chose to live. End of life choices are just that. There is no pushing to bend people to the will of others. Choices are an individual and personal experience. They should have always been and should be realized now.
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Finish Strong is so very important!
As Stevie Nicks so aptly reminds us in Landslide... "But time makes you bolder. Even children get older. And I'm getting older too." I am getting older. And my Mom is 82. We have had many conversation about death. And we agree that we aren't afraid of death. We are afraid of suffering. I witnessed a very good death close up. I was honored to be at my fathers' bedside as he slipped away peacefully. What it took for me and the rest of my family to ensure him a peaceful death was extraordinary. It was a battle and he had an advanced directive! We fought off feeding tubes and resuscitation by medical professionals who didn't consider my Dad's suffering or have his best interests at heart. I learned that I don't want my kids to have to battle the medical community to ensure me a peaceful death. But I didn't know how to actually ensure that.. legally, how to communicate it, to whom and how to help everyone understand my wishes. Until I read Finish Strong!Finish Strong is a guide to help the reader understand the options available for end-of-life care and to really assess their values. The next steps are crucial... how to make the plan legal, known and hopefully respected by everyone involved in their care. I had no idea how many options are out there.Hospice was such a blessing for my Dad! And when the time came, they respected his wish to pass peacefully. I want everyone to have their wishes respected and with Finish Strong, I believe they are learning how.
