Rhosty, well said.

In actual fact, having cared for many dying cancer patients, most of them don't make a conscious decision to dehydrate or starve themselves at all.
The body seems to make that decision naturally, because they stop being able to swallow even fluids, and become almost comatose.

We still give them plenty of pain relief, so they are comfortable, but still I would rather not go through this stage myself because it is very hard on the family and friends to watch. It can last a week or two sometimes.

I would like to see voluntary euthanasia legalized.
Then those who choose to linger like this, or have a death where we can't manage the pain, can brave it until the bitter end if they choose, while others can decide not to.

Thanks Susan;
And I sense in you a very decent caring person.
And no, I don't advocate making personal decisions for others still competent to do so, or disallow them to rescind them, even at the last possible minute.
We have the choice of making a living will and asking not to be helped with pain relief or oxygen etc, at the end.
And no, I don't believe we should even try to extend the dying process, at the end, by applying intravenous hydration etc, that simply drags the process out.
Yet there are examples of people on complete support, who have had the help turned off; yet have not only struggled on, but have improved.
Which tells me, that their natural predestined time is not yet, even where a war injury has removed half a brain; yet life still persists.
Or a drowned man, deprived of oxygen for ten normally terminal minutes, is successfully resuscitated and with no perceivable harm? And there's other almost endless similar examples.
It all tells me, we all of us have a DATE WITH DESTINY, WE CAN'T EVER AVOID, NOR BUY a minute more than the allotted time, even if we had all the world's gold!
I don't think anyone should struggle bravely on, but be given appropriate pain relief, some of which is at least ten times more powerful than pure heroin.
But can be very addictive, and vastly more so than any of the usual opiates.
But if someone dies naturally/painlessly, with all their marbles still rattling around; but with an addiction, then where's the harm in that?
As well as reincarnation, I believe in a peaceful passing wherever possible, and would advocate the use of all means possible, and to do as much as humanly possible, to provide exactly that.
Even where it causes the patient to slip into a coma, and be no longer aware of surrounding or weeping rallies.
That's the goal at the end, rather than than "quite deliberate" euthanasia, or the premature stilling of a still beating human heart.
Cheers, Rhrosty.

Rhrosty,
you're twisting words to avoid answering a very simple question. If you did not have any finacial support from anyone as you're trying to tell us, then all I can say is despite your very unfortunate condition you are fortunate in having sufficient resources to support yourself & the person you cared for. I simply couldn't achieve that in my finacial situation. So, despite so much bad luck you were at least lucky in not having to seek support.
Suseonline,
trust you to board the feigned indignation bandwagon.

Individual, trust you to twist Rhosty's words around and try to meddle in something that is not your business.

There's nothing feigned about my comments above, and you should reserve your comments for something your self-professed non-academic brain can understand.

Cheers,
Suse.

Suseonline,
If you & Rhrosty can put your money & not ours i.e. taxpayers, where your mouth is then fine, otherwise stop pretending how independent & or philanthropic you are.
Your hypocrisy is shining like a beacon.

I have seen enough credible evidence, to change my belief in reincarnation, to one that accepts it as literal fact.
And includes a number of eyewitness accounts, of people remembering past lives in deep hypnosis/near death.
And while in said states, provide recoverable credible evidence, that is able to be verified by official historical records, of very local events, known to very few!
And as compelling as that evidence surely is, [read, life after life,] none more so, than the very recent news of a young Australian man, thrust into a coma due to an accident; and awaking much (years?) later speaking fluent mandarin!
Now given he clearly did not learn that language in this lifetime, then it is perfectly reasonable to believe he learnt it in a past one!
Verily verily, [truly truly] I say unto you, to reach unto the kingdom of heaven you must be born again; or, so as you sow, so also shall you reap.
Those of us who believe both reincarnation and karma are true.
Wonder just what kind of lives Hitler and Stalin are living now?
And it's London to a brick, they would be first and foremost in the queue, clamoring for an easy way out?
Can't imagine how the news that there is no easy way out will go down; not for the worst war criminals, or just second hand car salesmen, selling death trap rust buckets to kids, or indeed, the conga line of loan sharks, that make this, i.e., merchants/money changers in the temple/my Father's house, type of behavior possible!
This karmic debt, [reaping what you sow], can't be avoided by prematurely ending this life.
Throw a stone into a pond and it will always create ripples!
This demonstrates the immutable law of cause and effect at work, and indeed, Karma.
Just how differently would we treat each other, or our common home, if we simply accepted what the mounting evidence now reveals?
Rhrosty.