“When you have a terminal illness, regular life doesn’t stop. The washing machine still breaks down, the car gets flat tires, and kids still throw up in the middle of the night. It can be those things that cause us to break down, to feel that we no longer have the strength to go on.”

Lynda’s NYC firefighter husband wasn’t expected to live more than five years when he was diagnosed with oral cancer in 1993; he lived twenty-one years, fathered two sons, and impacted countless human lives and communities. The palliative care services he received treated his“total pain:” physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. It also supported Lynda and their children, helping them balance their own needs as they cared for Kenny. Without total pain control, many patients see suicide as their best option. We must help our family, friends, and neighbors seek out palliative care services so they can live their lives out to their meaningful, natural end and work hard to close the disparity gap so that everyone has equal access to that care.

https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Commentary-Find-better-plan-than-suicide-for-13676107.php