Girl is dying - and recording the whole process for euthanasia
Are you for or against euthanasia? Anyone who is healthy has never been diagnosed with a serious condition or has ever had to watch a loved one languish slowly and painfully because of an incurable disease. Perhaps they have not even thought about it and taken a stand regarding death assisted by a doctor. Or it may be that religious or principled issues interfere with the decision.
Controversial subject
Whatever your position, euthanasia is a very controversial subject - and its legalization has only been achieved in some parts of the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg. It is worth mentioning that euthanasia and assisted suicide are different practices, and in the first case, it is a health professional who adopts the active role in the end of the patient's life, while in the second, the doctor only provides the means to let the sick end his own life when he is ready.
For in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and some US states, terminally ill patients cannot be euthanized, but have earned the right to assisted suicide. Finally, as you have seen, few nations offer these options to the terminally ill, and the struggle for assisted death to become everyone's right continues - and a great supporter of the cause is the girl we will talk about next.
Right to choose
Her name is Holly Warland, she is 27 years old and at 11 was diagnosed with a rare and incurable condition called “Waist Muscle Dystrophy” - a genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration, from the neck down, that eventually leaves the bearer strapped to a bed and hooked up to appliances to survive.
Holly is Australian, and in her country, both euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal. However, her health began to deteriorate rapidly, so she decided to document and share her suffering to encourage dialogue about the right that every human being should have about when and how to end their existence.
Holly, by the way, said that she had a very normal childhood and adolescence, struggled hard to earn her degree in psychology - and even more so to become a university professor and enter the doctorate in neuroscience. And it was during the studies in 2016 that the Australian noticed that her condition was starting to get worse. Quite.
View this photo on Instagram.A post shared by Holly Warland (@hollywiththemd) on Apr 5, 2018 at 12:24 PDT
* Above, photo from 6 years ago, captured during his graduation.
She began to experience symptoms such as constant nausea, muscle pain, weakness, uncontrollable tremors, and rapid pulse and breathing. Shortly after, she had to stop her doctorate and quit her job - and that's when she began to document the deterioration of her condition and her suffering.
Four years ago, her routine has completely changed, and Holly basically intersperses between being tied to hospital beds and her own bed at home. Here are some of the moments she shared:
1 - Holly during a conference - before her state declines
2 - And here, just before it gets worse
3 - When hospital visits became more constant
4 - And when she became bedridden
5 - Even the baths, which should be moments of relaxation, are suffered
6 - In recent years, hospitals have become your 2nd home
7 - And There Is No Treatment For Holly's Condition
8 - Only palliative measures to make your existence more tolerable
9 - But she keeps fighting
And you, dear reader, what do you think about the subject? Are you for or against a person's right to choose when to die? But before you answer, if you want to follow Holly's daily life, she created an Instragram profile (which you can access via this link) to share her routine. So, what do you think about the topic?
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