If I had a terminal illness with minimal time to live, I would not appreciate the irrational use of technology to extend my life. There are two reasons why I would decline attempts to extend my life. First, once diagnosed with a terminal illness, it's a medical fact that the condition is irreversible. This means that any attempts made by medical practitioners would be to extend my life temporarily. The efforts would, therefore, guarantee a slow death accompanied by physical and emotional suffering. Bioethicists refer to this situation as dysthanasia (Monteiro, 2016). It would be better to die sooner and put an end to my physical pain as well as the emotional suffering of my family members. Secondly, attempts to extend my life would put a financial burden on my family members. Most of the medical procedures aimed at prolonging life are costly, which would suppress my family's finances. I would, therefore, reject the use of my family's finances for futile attempts to prolong my life.
As a terminally ill individual with limited time to live, I would prefer to spend much of my remaining time with my family. Family members form a vital part of an individual's social life. They determine who we are and shape our lives. I would, therefore, spend much of my time with my close family members, such as my parents and siblings. This would allow me to spend quality time with them and also get moral and emotional support in my end-of-life stage. An individual's close family members are more likely to stand with their suffering family members during the most challenging time. I would, therefore, surround myself with family members and a few close and loyal friends.
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It comes a time when terminally ill patients become bedridden, which prompts visitors to visit and check on them (Monteiro, 2016). In such a situation, I would encourage the visitors not to pity me and instead enjoy the limited time they have to spend with me before my death. I would let them understand that pitying me would not improve my condition. Instead, it would cause emotional turmoil for me and my family members. They should not treat with indignity as a helpless individual, but instead, they should offer emotional and physical support to me in the remaining time. Some individuals are likely to remind me always that I am about to die. I would not want to be continuously reminded of my fate; instead, it would be more prudent to make the best use of the limited time.
As I near my end of life, I would ensure that I have dealt with any unresolved issues with my family and friends. I would try to resolve issues such as sibling rivalry and confess any concealed truths to my parents. This would be essential to clear my conscience and die in peace, knowing that I have reconciled with everybody. I would extend the same gesture to my friends. I would encourage my family members and friends to remain united even when I'm gone. I would encourage them to support each other in difficult moments and never to wait until the last days of an individual's life to show love.
I would also make some changes in my life if I discovered I have a terminal illness. For instance, I would reduce my social circle to include the most important people in my life, such as family and friends. These are the individuals that I would be guaranteed that they would stand by me until the end of my life. This change would allow me more quality time with the people I care about. It would significantly improve the quality of experience in the remaining time. I would also drop any addictive behavior that I had before, such as excessive social media use to allow me more time with the people I love.
If I discovered that I had a longer timespan to live, I would do something that would impact not only my family but also the entire society. For instance, I would initiative a community-based awareness campaign to sensitize people about the terminal illness that I have been diagnosed with. I would research the best preventive approaches to curb the prevalence of my sickness among the community members. I would also come up with programs that would ensure that the terminally ill patients within my community are accorded quality care in their end of life stages. These initiatives would ensure that I use the remaining time of my life in the most efficient manner leading to a social change in my society.
References
Monteiro, F. (2016). Beliefs, values and morals: the philosophical underpinnings of dysthanasia. Open Journal of Philosophy , 6 (4), 406-411.
