Dr. Leiva responds to Leonard Stern’s piece on euthanasia and speaks on caring for patients:
At the end, as Viktor Frankl says: “love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality.”
Inspiring.
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A good man in Ottawa
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Dr. Leiva wrote an inspiring letter to the Ottawa Citizen. I notice that right after his letter comes one from Paul Zollman (a member of “Choice in Dying”) where he agrees that ‘hope’ is important to prevent suicides. But Mr. Zollman then immediately exhibits the laziness of society and throws in the towel too early. He states that “when there is no longer any hope….suicide or euthanasia may well be a rational and understandable choice”. Unlike Dr. Leiva, Mr. Zollman seems unable to grasp that it takes effort and work on our part to provide the hope that even he would agree, is important.
Certainly it would be ‘easier’ and require far fewer man-hours for physicians, family and friends alike to just give up, say their patient/relative/friend has “nothing left to live for”, and allow them to choose suicide or euthanasia as their way out. But, as Dr. Leiva so eloquently expresses, a kind word, an offer of friendship, communication and caring from one other person…often these things are enough to relieve the depression that befalls those contemplating suicide.
I don’t mean to make it sound as simplistic as this, for it seldom ever is. But it is likewise, not a simple or trivial matter to assume that “there is no longer any hope”. Many of these patients do not need hope that they will be cured. They are realistic enough to know no cure is forthcoming. They do not need hope of complete lack of pain. They have a realistic expectation of some degree of pain. What they do need is hope in its purest form. The knowledge that someone cares, finds them worthwhile *as they are*, is willing to expend the energy to love them in these conditions. They need some sort of purpose. Something to hope for. Something to look forward to.
It takes work to help them find that ‘thing’ that can give them hope. It takes time. It may undoubtedly cost the health care system more money than it would to just let them give up. But I would argue that hope is priceless.
And no expenditure of time, money or effort is a waste when trying to provide it.