Ddavid from NC Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 196 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,343 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 12 Days Won: 1 Joined: 01/15/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/03/1964 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If you were diagnosed with cancer. Is it ok to elect not to take the treatment? Is it wrong to explore every treatment opportunity in attempt to prolong life? Is it solely your option with no consideration of loved ones whether to take chemo or not? I have a family member who may be facing these decisions this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneLight Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 22 Topic Count: 1,294 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 31,762 Content Per Day: 5.22 Reputation: 9,763 Days Won: 115 Joined: 09/14/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted January 21, 2008 There is no right answer. Your family member needs to search their own heart for the answer. To stay only to delay the inevitable so that you will not hurt others will have to be their choice, as it would be for them to trust that God will take them if it is their time. I can not think of a harder question to answer. We can only pray that your family member be led in their decision by God. OneLight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusting Jesus Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 66 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 2,050 Content Per Day: 0.34 Reputation: 22 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/12/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/09/1952 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I think that is one of the toughest questions a person can face. My mother was diagnosed with cancer and opted for treatment. She loved Jesus so she wasn't unsure of where she would spend eternity, but the doctors advised treatment. She went through 5 years of misery - I won't go into the details, but it was very sad to watch my mother die a little at a time. A few years later my grandmother got cancer. Having learned from what my mother went through she asked the doctors what her chances would be with treatment and without. The chances weren't good either way. She opted not to take treatment - again she knew Jesus and her salvation was not an issue. She died after a few months and did not suffer as my mother did. Now, my husbands ex-wife also got cancer about 10 years ago. She is -- shall we say and interesting person. Not a real nice lady, Catholic (not that that is bad, but she had no faith in Jesus - just a bunch of rituals that meant nothing to her except they had to be done). She opted for treatment. She had pancreatic cancer and has responded to treatment. She isn't doing well, and it keeps popping up in various places in her body, but 2 years ago she was driving in her car and got hit (or hit) a Baptist preacher! Not a bad accident, but the preacher talked with her...then he visited her...and she has now accepted Jesus as her saviour. Had she not taken the treatments she would not have been saved. (Before I get in trouble, I know that being Catholic doesn't rule out that you know Jesus, and being Baptist doesn't automatically mean you do. With her it was "in name only"). So, there is no easy answer for this in my experience. Sometimes I wonder if modern medical science is giving us choices that we were never meant to make, and I really don't know what decision I would make for myself. <>< ><> Nathele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David of Derby Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Senior Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 77 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 780 Content Per Day: 0.13 Reputation: 150 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/29/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/20/1983 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Isn't refusing treatment for a terminal illness essentially suicide? Doesn't seem much different to deliberately killing yourself to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddavid from NC Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 196 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,343 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 12 Days Won: 1 Joined: 01/15/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/03/1964 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Isn't refusing treatment for a terminal illness essentially suicide? Doesn't seem much different to deliberately killing yourself to me. Is seeking agressive treatment to extend yur life a little bit longer refusing to accept it your time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusting Jesus Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 66 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 2,050 Content Per Day: 0.34 Reputation: 22 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/12/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/09/1952 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I struggled a lot with this question. I know that God has given the knowledge for the treatments, but these hard choices have been put upon us by man. From watching my mother and my grandmother I feel that they were both God-fearing ladies who had a right to die with dignity. Although at 18 I wasn't ready to loose my mother, when I looked back I felt she didn't deserve the agony she went through and the only ones to benefit were the doctors (i'm really not being cynical, just honest). I also have to state here that she was afraid she had cancer and put off finding out until it was very far advanced. Had she been diagnosed earlier it would probably have turned out differently for her. It's a tough decision that should only be made with prayer. <>< ><> Nathele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David of Derby Posted January 21, 2008 Group: Senior Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 77 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 780 Content Per Day: 0.13 Reputation: 150 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/29/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/20/1983 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Is seeking agressive treatment to extend yur life a little bit longer refusing to accept it your time? All is as God wills it, right? If it's your time, the treatment will fail, surely? Or perhaps God gave us free will to choose to use the intelligence He gave us? Use it to save ourselves from disease and injury, maybe? We can't make ourselves immortal, but what's wrong with extending our lives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunterpoet Posted January 22, 2008 Group: Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service Followers: 0 Topic Count: 128 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 2,704 Content Per Day: 0.44 Reputation: 25 Days Won: 1 Joined: 05/29/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/08/1950 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Isn't refusing treatment for a terminal illness essentially suicide? Doesn't seem much different to deliberately killing yourself to me. Suicide is the choosing and the initiating of that which ends a persons life. Having cancer or any other terminal disease is not the persons choice. By choosing to allow the diease process to run it's course without treatment may seem odd to most , but is not suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneLight Posted January 22, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 22 Topic Count: 1,294 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 31,762 Content Per Day: 5.22 Reputation: 9,763 Days Won: 115 Joined: 09/14/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted January 22, 2008 Isn't refusing treatment for a terminal illness essentially suicide? Doesn't seem much different to deliberately killing yourself to me. Suicide is the choosing and the initiating of that which ends a persons life. Having cancer or any other terminal disease is not the persons choice. By choosing to allow the diease process to run it's course without treatment may seem odd to most , but is not suicide. I agree with this statement. Sometimes I think that prolonging a terminal illness is playing god. I'm sure there are those who will disagree, but this is how I see it. OneLight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other one Posted January 22, 2008 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 29 Topic Count: 599 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 56,263 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 27,991 Days Won: 271 Joined: 12/29/2003 Status: Offline Share Posted January 22, 2008 David, like most things there isn't a clear answer to your question in my mind. Depends on the person and their situation. If this family member is relatively young and has children, I would say go for the treatment if there is any chance to be healthy, or if it would extend his/her life to let the kids grow up.... it it is an older person, I don't see anything wrong with just letting nature take it course. I had an aunt that was diagnosed with cancer and they told her she wouldn't live more than three months...... she didn't take all the treatments that were available thirty years ago and lived another twenty five years of enjoyable life. I have a cousin that had cancer and tried everything and didn't make it but about three months. It just depends on when the Lord wants you home. It is kind of cold heartiness but if I had cancer and it was going to deplete all our savings for old age and would only extend my life for a year or so, I would not spend my families backup finances on myself. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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