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2002-03-13 - 9:59 a.m.
Why?
Why?------------------ - I read this morning about the Indian neurologist in New York that has established new guideliines in treating coma patients. It was in connection with a girl who had run into a tree in her car and went into a deep coma. In a circuituous series of events, her mother was brought into contact with this doctor and the girl was treated using these new guidelines and recovered. I am sure 1s might have recovered if that sort of treatment had been used. Unfortunately, it only started being used in 1994 and 1s died in 1988. The most important part of the new treatment is raising the patient's blood pressure to the pressure the brain arrives at. This prevents the swelling of the brain past the point of recovery and allows the doctors to try some things they have known all along, like opening the skull and relieving the pressure. Unfortunately, 1s was injured in a country which has socialized medicine. His chances were not good, and so he was tagged for organ harvesting rather than treatment. In that Golden Hour, he was not given the drugs that could have saved him, instead he was flown to a major transplant hospital to wait for the inevitable. And it happened. Several things that happened at the time are indications that he might have recovered. While we refused to give permission for organ removal and life support shutdown, we did agree to with-holding of hormones treatment. No extraordinary methods would be used. The brain had already hemorrhaged by this time, and conventional treatment would no longer work. The waiting game commences in the US or else the family gives permission for cutoff. Since the brain regulates hormone use, when a person is determined to be brain-dead, hormones are no longer produced. One major consequence is loss of body fluid to the bringing on of death. The body usually flushes out all of the liquid through the kidneys and death results. Hormone replacement prevents this flushing enabling the body to live on. When 1s was not given the hormones, Dr. McNeil rushed to tell us and warn us of the consequences. He alone of all the doctors there thought 1s had a chance and should be given it. To everyone's surprise, after an initial period of flushing (and while we all prepared ourselves for 1s' death) his body picked up its normal function of hormone production. Wasn't this an indication that the brain was still hooked up? Not to the socialized doctors. They opted to terminate life support, even over our strident objections. It was not our choice in that country, it was the choice of the medical profession. What mind-searing questions does this raise in our lives? No more than we would have had if we had known nothing of any medical information or new procedures. As 800 and I spent the last few moments of 1s' life with hinm in this world before a nurse hurriedly ushered us out so she could unhook the life support, we both knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that You were the One in charge in that room. It would only be by Your permission that 1s drew his last breath there. As 800 said, "They couldn't have killed him with an axe if the Father hadn't allowed it." Do I sometimes feel bitter about 1s' death? Yes, I do. I feel the choice of the medical community makes them murderers in this and other ethical situations. I wonder why a worthless piece of flesh like Gary Busey can recover from the same injury. But I never feel bitterness at Your choice. I gave my choices into Your hands long ago. Your Will be done. And as the years pass, I see little glimpses of Your Will in this. I see Gary Busey change his life around and make films proclaiming the Gospel message. I feel the reality even more of day by day of living with You as opposed to living apart from You and I know 1s is wholly satisfied. Psalm 17:15 says, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness." What more could I ask for my boy, and what more could I long for personally? Thank You.
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