Published: August 18, 2009 01:50 pm      

Letter to the Editor - Aug. 19

To the Editor:

In 1989, my mother was admitted to a hospital on a Thursday at 11 p.m. to have quintuple bypass surgery the next morning. Before she could go to surgery, she had a brain aneurysm, went into a coma and was placed on a ventilator. Once the doctor did a brain scan and determined she had no brain function, we took her off the ventilator about 8 p.m. Friday night; she died at the age of 68. Because my mother had talked to all three of her children about her last wishes, of not being left on a ventilator, we were in agreement to disconnect the ventilator. She had also told her doctor and had a living will. It made it so much easier to comply with her wishes and not have to fight the doctor or go to court to have the ventilator removed.

Even if a portion of the health bill now in Congress does not include a section about paying a doctor to conference with anyone over 55, I strongly urge anyone of any age to confer with his/her doctor, to tell your family what you would want if you are ever unable to speak for yourself, and to have it in writing. One horrible traffic accident can ruin a family because of in fighting about what to do with the person in a coma.

Although it is not a consideration for taking a certain action, my mother's less than 24-hour stay in the hospital cost about $15,000 (probably $40,000 in today's dollar value). Luckily, my mom had insurance and, even if she didn't, my family is fortunate enough that we could have paid for it. There are a lot of families who have no insurance and no means to pay even a bill half that size. Some families have gone bankrupt, trying to pay medical bills.

The important thing is to know what someone wants if a tragedy happens. Most hospitals provide a Five Wishes booklet. You can go on line to get them, or you can search for Florida Advanced Directives, which include a living will and a health care surrogate form. You can also go to www.partnershipforcaring.org.

Please consider taking a proactive step now to help your family make good decisions for what is right for your family at a time of crisis.

Lynne Roy

Live Oak