“There is a time to be born and a time to die." ~ Ecclesiastes
3:2
Rhonda had always been an
optimistic person. She believed that
negative events were temporary, limited in scope, and always manageable. Her life had been rough at times. She’d watched three siblings battle cancer and
buried two of them way too early. She should
have been angry and bitter, but she wasn’t. Rhonda looked forward to each new day and its endless
possibilities.
That’s why the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiform (GBM),
the most common and most malignant of all brain tumors, barely rattled
her. She vowed from Day 1 that her hope
would never be extinguished before her earthly time was complete.
Seven days after the initial diagnoses, Rhonda had a partial
craniotomy and a partial resection of her temporal lobe. Both surgeries were an effort to stop the
growth of my tumor. When the tumor
returned weeks later even more aggressively, doctors prescribed radical chemotherapy.
What many people don't realize is that chemotherapy carries
a very real risk of death and other complications such as heart or kidney
failure, not just the well-recognized hair loss, vomiting and infertility. Balancing those serious risks against the
potential benefits including life prolongation in the final phase of her life became
a heart-wrenching balance.
There comes a point where death must be accepted; where
quality is pursued over quantity; where hospice care beats lying in a hospital
bed hooked up to an IV filled with poison. When told that she had only months to live, Rhonda
wasn’t upset, angry or frightened. She’d
already hit rock bottom weeks earlier.
Rhonda elected hospice care forgoing any more procedures
related to the GBM diagnosis. She chose
to enjoy the rest of her life as pain free as possible without any medications
that would directly attempt to attack her cancerous brain.
The always-optimistic woman was giving up; throwing in the
towel so to speak.
Or was she?
“I’m not quitting,” she suggested. “I’m dying … but I’ll live my final days positively. I’ll still enjoy time with my family and
friends. We’ll still make memories
together. I’ll still answer all of the
questions they’ve ever wanted to ask. And as I prepare to cross the finish line, death
marks the end of my earthly race and the beginning of eternal life.”
For Christians, the promise of everlasting life offsets the
fear of the dying process. Respect for
the sanctity of human life does not mean that life must be prolonged by every
technological means possible. While we
might long to be with Christ and out of our suffering bodies, Christians
recognize that God’s will and purpose for life can still be accomplished by
preparing spiritually for life beyond our earthly existence up until the moment
of death.
Gracious God, may those approaching the end
of life experience freedom from distress, spiritual healing, and complete trust
in You. Receive them with mercy and
love, so that they may share joy, peace, and the richness of life with You
forever. Amen
