Choices

[omimouse]

I thought about advance directives and living wills for the past week or so. Around yesterday, I realized that I don't really know what I would want done, were I in a postion where I was completely and totally unable to make any kind of decision about what would happen to me.

So, I talked with louisadkins and warinbear a bit, and made a choice.

I, Naomi Elena Pusey, being of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that Scott Warren Campbell and Louis Delbert Adkins shall, from this day forth have the full and complete right to make any and all medical choices and decisons on my behalf, should I ever be incapable of making said choices and decisons for myself. Any choice of medical treatment or lack thereof, up to and including heroic measures, and any and all life support measures, including but not limited to feeding tubes must be agreed upon by both Scott Warren Campbell and Louis Delbert Adkins before said treatment, heroic measures, or life support measures are administered. Should they at any time both agree that life support measures need to be withdrawn, then I hereby to grant them the authority to make that choice on my behalf.

I'm posting this publicly, so that there can be no mistaking my choice. I will be printing out two copies. One copy, I will date, sign, and file. The other copy will be filed right next to it, until I can get the money together to make it truly legally binding. Until then I a) hope that this will never be needed, and b) hope that this will carry enough weight to make a difference.

I don't know if this is the coward's way out. The truth of the matter is, I don't know what I would want. Should this ever come into effect, I won't be able to decide what I do and do not want done. I won't know the circumstances. Therefore, I'm choosing to leave the decision on what to do in the hands of those who will know what's going on, and who will have the information. Warin and Louis know me. I trust them with this.

Besides, if I'm truly brain-dead, then what happens to the husk is no longer my concern, or my suffering. I won't be truly aware of it. At that point, whatever happens to my body will impact them a hell of a lot more than it will impact me. It's only right (in my mind) that it be their choice.

Comments

[warinbear.livejournal.com]

I believe she intended the second copy to be signed in the presence of a notary public, so that the notary could legally affix hir seal to it, thereby giving it greater weight should the issue ever come to court. At present, we don't know someone who would notarize it without charging a fee, much less someone local who would do so; if we did, she wouldn't need the first copy.

ouch

[twistedchick]

If you have a bank account, there should be someone at the bank who is empowered to act as a notary for bank patrons -- and there should be no fee. We had papers notarized at a bank a few years ago.