I hadn't heard from my step-mom in some time even after I sent her a boatload of photos from the recent family wedding. I emailed her this morning and she called me shortly afterwards. She has been one of four people providing hospice care for her elderly friend Kit.
Kit has cancer. The pain is barely being managed. When she is feeling OK she doesn't take the morphine but then the pain comes on suddenly and it takes awhile for it to subside after she takes her medication.
I mentioned to my stepmom that they should be giving her a smaller but steady stream of medication and she thought that might be better except conversation with Kit is pretty much impossible when she is on the drugs and sometimes she is sleeping and nobody wants to wake her up to give it to her (she is taking it orally.)
Kit wants to die at home, not in a hospital. Fair enough. But there HAS to be a better way to manage the pain!
My stepmom is not Catholic and I am sure she thinks assisted suicide should be allowed when she hears Kit screaming. However, I think Kit might be offering up what she can, when she can.
Pray for them.
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