[Magdalen] permission to die with dignity

[Eleanor Braun]

I know the priest of whom Grace speaks.  In fact we sat next to each other
in New Testament class at VTS, before she had any symptoms.  I knew she
would be a wonderful priest, and she proves it constantly.

Her blog is here:  http://incredible3years.wordpress.com/ .  In her latest
entry, she writes about her "suckiness meltdown."  Her name is Jennifer
Durant, and I know she would appreciate your prayers..

Eleanor

On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 4:21 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I've done lots of Hospice work, too, Jay, and I understand the issues.
> That's why I said I think it should be a person's choice. I don't have a
> moral objection to it, though I sometimes get caught up in the question of
> whether we have the right to take a life--even our own. And I simply don't
> know what I'd do if I were ever in that position.
>
> There is a priest, the assistant in my home parish right now who has ALS
> and is at the point where she can just about move the joystick on her chair
> after someone positions it for her; that's all.  She can't speak and may
> have a feeding tube--I'm not sure.  But she is present every Sunday at the
> altar, uses a computer-activated voice to speak, still "writes" and
> preaches her own sermons. For awhile, before she got the computer thing,
> others had to read her sermons for her, but now she does it.  She
> distributes the bread at communion with an assistant. She still accompanies
> the rector on hospital visits.
>
> I don't think I could possibly do what she is doing and has been doing for
> a couple of years now, losing one capacity after another while her mind has
> stayed as sharp as ever.  But it has been an amazing gift to the
> congregation. I have often thought that if I were ever in that situation I
> wouldn't want to continue living, but seeing her, I don't know.  I often
> think of the title of that book that Kennedy wrote called "Profiles in
> Courage." She surely is an example of that.
>
> On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 2:29 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Grace, as a former hospice nurse I don't have a single problem with it.
> Her
> > chances of recovery are zero, zip, zilch. She is merely choosing to go
> out
> > on her own terms, before she is a complete vegetable or something worse.
> I
> > would like to at least have the *choice* to do the same if my situation
> > were similar.
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 2:17 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Excellent article; I'm still somewhat conflicted about this, but I do
> > > think it's a personal decision.
> > > That said, I love the title of the blog where this appeared: Post
> > > Traumatic Church Syndrome!
> > >
> > > > On Oct 15, 2014, at 2:00 AM, James Oppenheimer <
> > oppenheimerjw at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I did a study on the topic of people having the right or not having
> the
> > > > right to end their lives at their chosen time.  A lot of water has
> gone
> > > > over the dam since I did that reading back in the day.
> > > >
> > > > A young woman has found she has a short time left, and her family has
> > > moved
> > > > to a state where people are allowed to die at the time of their
> > choosing.
> > > > Interesting article about it. A lot of interesting responses too.
> And a
> > > lot
> > > > of folks who just don't get it.
> > > >
> > > > http://tinyurl.com/oyv25bg
> > > >
> > > > James W. Oppenheimer
> > > > *"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things
> > > better
> > > > for people coming behind you, and you don't do it, you're wasting
> your
> > > time
> > > > on this Earth."  -- *Roberto Clemente
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Grace Cangialosi
> Ruckersville, VA
>
> "There are a lot of amazing people out there to be thankful for--
> and a loving God. that's what life is about."
>                                                                    Robin
> Williams,  1951-2014
>