WHAT
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DIE IN A WEEK MAYBE THAT QUESTION MAKES YOU
UNCOMFORTABLE?
IT DOES.
MOST OF US OUR SOCIETY HAS A
REAL PHOBIA AROUND TALKING4@
ABOUT DEATH IN PLANNING FOR IT,
IN ACCEPTING IT.
MAINE H4@AS HAD A DEATH WITH
DIGNITY OR MEDICAL AID IN DYING
LAW FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN A
YEAR NOW.
BUT PEOPL4@E IN THE MEDICAL
COMMUNITY HERE WHO HAVE
ELECTEDE TO PARTI4@CIPATE WHO
BELIEVE IN OFFERING TERMINAL4@
PATIENTS THE OPTION TO END
THEIR SUFFERING WHEN THEY
ALREADY ARE RETICENT TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
FORTUNATELY ONE PATIENT WAS4@ NT
.
ERIC CARLSON CONTACTED ME LAST
SPRING WHEN THE LAW WAS BEING
DEBATED4@.
HE WAS STARING DOWN A TERMINAL
ILLNESS WITH AN AWFUL AND4@ HE
WASN'T SURE HE WOULD CHOOSE
THIS OPTION BUT HE WANTED THE4@
CHOICE4@4@4@4@ AND EVENTUALLY H
WASN'T SURE HE WOULD CHOOSE THIS OPTION BUT HE WANTED THE4@ CHOICE4@4@4@4@ AND EVENTUALLY HD
IT.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AND HIS
LOVED IN EDGECOMBE LAST MONTH
WITH HIS SELF-IMPOSED COUNTDOWN
TICKING.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
OH, I FEEL FOR DIEMERT NOW FOR
ERIC CARLSON THE LAST 19 MONTHS
HAVE BEEN A TERRIFYING RIDE,
ONE THAT STARTED WITH NUMBNESS
IN HIS ARM AND THEY SENT ME FOR
AN MRI TO SEE IF JUST THAT IF I
PINCHED NERVE IN MY NECK AND IT
CAME BACK JUST LIKE A
STRAWBERRY SIZED BRAIN TUMOR4@4@
JUST RIGHT RIGHT HERE.
IT WAS A STAGE FOR GLIOBLASTOMA@
STOMA.
THESE TUMORS HAVE TENTACLES
THAT WORMED THEIR WAY THROUGH
THE BRAIN SURGERY WILL NEVER
GET ALL OF THEM.
IT JUST CAME JUST OUT
OF NOWHERE THAT FAST WHICH WAS
CRAZY4@.
A DEVASTATING DIAGNOSIS FOR A
RUGGED OUTDOORSMAN WHO JUMPED
INTO WILDFIRES OUT WEST THEN
RAN A FORRESTRY BUSINESS HERE
FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS
SURGERY, CHEMO, RADIATION4@,
PHYSICAL THERAPY IT WAS
EXHAUSTING BUT BY SUMMER ERIC
FELT4@ BETTER KNOWING HE WAS
TERMINAL THOUGH NOT FULLY
ACCEPTING IT.
THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS
JUST LIVE YOUR LIFE.
AND HE DID.
HE TOOK HIS DAUGHTERS TO VISIT
RELATIVES IN SWEDEN4@.
IT WAS NO LONGER OH THIS WOULD
BE SUCH A FUN THING TO DO.
I HOPE WE GET TO DO THAT.4@
IT WAS WE'RE DOING THIS.
ERIC TOOK HIS PARTNER STEPHANIE
TO THE CARRIBEAN H4@IS BEST BUDS
ON HUNTING TRIPS AND YEAH,
TAUGHT4@ HIS NEPHEW HOW TO FISH.
HE DANCED AND EMBRACED THE
THINGS AND PEOPLE HE LOVED.
I WAS 100 PERCENT SURE IN MY
MIND LIKE I WAS THE ANOMALY4@.
BUT CANCER HAD OTHER PLANS THIS
PAST SUMMER ERIC4@ STARTED HAVIG
SEIZURES.
HE LOST HIS BALANCE, SOME
COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND HIS
DRIVER'S LICENSE.
ANOTHER TUMOR HAD FORMED MORE
SURGERY, TREATMENT,
HOSPITALIZATION AS ERIC PUTS
IT.
HE WAS BACK ON4@ A HAMSTER WHEEL
JUST BACK AND FORTH LIKE JUST
THIS CRUMMY FAIR RIDE THAT JUST
YOU CAN'T GET OFF OF .
BUT THIS TIME AROUND WAS
DIFFERENT4@.
ERIC WAS IN TREMENDOUS PAIN.
REALITY CLOSED4@ IN THE FINAL
DECLINE HAD BEGUN.
THERE'S REALLY NO WAY TO KNOW
HAPPY ENDING WITH IT AWARE
OF MEANS DEATH WITH DIGNITY LAW@
ERIC WAS STEPHANIE BY HIS SIDE
BROACHED THE SUBJECT4@ WITH HIS
DOCTORS.
I WAS A LITTLE BIT WORRIED WHEN
WE FIRST CALL4@ THAT WE WERE
GOING TO HAVE TO TRY TO SELL
THIS LIKE LIKE THEY'RE
INTERVIEWING US WHETHER THEY
WERE GOING TO GIVE US OUR
MORTGAGE OR NOT.
BUT NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN
MORTGAGE OR NOT. BUT NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN4@ FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
HE SAYS HIS DOCTORS MADE4@ IT
CLEAR THEY WERE SUPPORTIVE
OF WHATEVER CHOICE HE MADE
AROUND HOW AND WHEN HE4@ WANTED
OF WHATEVER CHOICE HE MADE AROUND HOW AND WHEN HE4@ WANTED@ TO DIE.
NO LONGER ABLE TO WORK IN THE
WOODS4@ TO HUNT TO DANCE, ERIC
FELT HE WAS LOSING THE THINGS
THAT MADE4@ HIM HIM.
I DON'T WANT TO JUST DAYS I
WANT TO BE ME AND DO THE THINGS
I WANT TO DO AND BE ABLE TO DO
SO IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THEN THAT
THAT WAS4@ THAT TRAIN WAS LEAVIG
THE STATION PRETTY QUICKLY.
HE DEBATED IT FOR SOME TIME.
THEN ONE NIGHT HIS DECISION
BECAME CRYSTAL CLEAR IT WAS
TIME TO STOP THE HAMSTER WHEEL
FOR HIM AND FOR HIS FAMILY.
I'VE HAD A HARDER TIME PICKING
OUT WHICH HOT FUDGE SUNDAE TO
GET4@ LIKE IT IT IT WAS SO CLEAR
LIKE A4@ THIS IS THAT HE PUT IN
HIS FORMAL REQUEST GOT A SECOND
OPINION CONFIRMING HE HAD SIX
MONTHS OR LESS SAW A4@
PSYCHOLOGIST WHO D4@ECLARED HIM
OF SOUND MIND COMPLETED TWO
WAITING PERIODS AND THEN4@4@ AS
PSYCHOLOGIST WHO D4@ECLARED HIM OF SOUND MIND COMPLETED TWO WAITING PERIODS AND THEN4@4@ ASS
DECLINE GOT WORSE HE SET A DATE@
EIGHT DAYS AFTER THIS
INTERVIEW.
I KNOW THAT IT'S THE RIGHT
DECISION FOR HIM.
HE HASN'T WAVERED4@.
THERE'S JUST AN ABSOLUTE
PEACEFULNESS TO IT WHERE YOU4@
ALL WHY YOUR AFFAIRS ARE IN
ORDER.
ALL WHY YOUR AFFAIRS ARE IN ORDER.4@ YOU KNOW EVERYTHING'S DONE4@ NOW
YOU CAN PLAN FOR4@ THE POSITIVE
THINGS.
I'M NEVER GOING TO4@ REALLY LOSE
WHO HE IS AND ALL4@ OF MY
MEMORIES OF HIM WILL BE4@ EXACTY
WHO HE IS.
WE ALL JUST COME TOGETHER AND
WE JOKE AROUND AND WE MAKE SURE
YOU EVERYTHING IS THE SAME AS
IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN.4@
SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH4@ YOUR
LAST EIGHT DAYS?
WE'RE JUST GOING WITH THE FLOW
.4@
SO HIS BEST FRIEND HELPED ERIC
GET BACK TO HIS BELOVED SKIDDER
FOR ONE LAST RIDE THE FUN.
THIS WAS ERIC'S LAST TODAY4@
SURROUNDED BY FAMILY, HE TOOK
HIS PRESCRIPTION AND