What do you do when you have less than six months to live?

David, I wholly support you in your endeavor. I hope you have read all the particulars of Oregon law. I do think it can differ from each state offering MAID. My limited knowledge is from a friend s son in law that lived in South Dakota. I don't remember what type of cancer he had, other than he was in late stage and had had it for a number of years. By the time he decided to do the paper work it was determined that he wasn't competent enough to make that decision. So basically I do know there are different parameters and the son in law would have fit the bill other than perhaps a time element.
Good luck to you. A road trip is an excellent way to celebrate life.

@pml Though trust and faith are wonderful when we have solutions for our problems.There are situations where even god will expect us to take decisions and act with courage. Just as we need clarity and courage to live we need it to write a Living will which gives clarity to the family about what we want.Same way choosing MAiD is also an essential decision to make for our own dignity and peace for ourselves and the others.I feel it is easy to see them go in peace than see them suffer.Death is not a punishment if it is going to be peaceful,it is a blessing we have chosen for ourselves. .
I am a 73 year old CRC person.I discussed and made decisions and put it in the Living will before I started my fist level of treatment. Wishing you everything as you want.You will be in my thoughts,David

@premi thank you for your support kind, sir. Not everybody shares the same sentiment as you and I know it is a very controversial topic. But when it comes to my life and my suffering, I have 100% choice in whatever I choose. I hope the .start of the your first line treatment goes well. It’s been over two years of chemotherapy surgeries infection and mental torment from which there is no escape for me. I wish you well respectfully David.

@kono8888 : It does appear you've given this situation a great deal of thought from an emotional perspective. As an end-of-life doula (which I can explain as I see you inquired), I totally understand your choice and I can tell you that there are options in Oregon for out-of-state residents; there are guidelines that must be followed for this. Perhaps before you embark on your trip, it might be helpful to read through them here: https://eolcoregon.org/out-of-state/

This is a big undertaking to drive by yourself from Florida to Oregon. It's an approximate distance of 3000 miles, and an estimated time to arrive in up to 6 days if driving alone averaging 12 hours per day. Even with stops along the way, that's quite a bit of driving for someone in peak health, but can be more challenging for someone in the last phases of life when stamina begins to decline, fatigue increases and cognitive changes can occur. Physical changes can also include nausea, shortness of breath, and bowel or bladder issues. I'm wondering if maybe you could enlist the help/assistance/services of someone to accompany you on this trip to ensure for your comfort and safety, keeping those things in mind? (To me, it brings to mind the book "So Long, Chester Wheeler" about a man whose last wish is to go on a car trip from his home in Buffalo, NY to Arizona. And in his case, he did have a young neighbor who agreed to make the trip with him - it made for a thoroughly lively adventure!)

To succinctly explain an End-of-Life Doula (EOLD) or death doula, their purpose is to provide non-medical support in the form of non-judgmental, emotional, practical and spiritual companionship - a holistic approach that can supplement hospice provisions, even before such services are needed. There are organizations that provide training so that EOLDs are qualified in understanding end of life from the these dynamics and can better prepare individuals as to what to expect in the time leading up to their last days and hours. Autonomy is given to the client in the sense that the client guides the conversations, expresses their feelings including their desires for how they envision their time to evolve and can explore post-death decisions, such as rituals, funerals, remembrances, legacy projects. Advance Care planning in the form of documents to express your wishes - such as Living Wills, POAs, Physician/Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment - can also be discussed. There are several EOLD organizations in Oregon, as @gingerw noted in one of her replies.

I hope this information hasn't been overwhelming. I see you've explored your options so wanted to provide a bit more information to "chew on" before embarking on your cross country trip. Has this opened up any other questions or concerns you might have?

@grammato3 thank you for your support and concern of my well-being for this arduous bucket list trip. I think it will be cathartic and helpful in an actionable way. I have allotted 15 days to get out there. I think that should be a sufficient amount of time and not overdo it. I must admit that I do have a bit of anxiety taking on such a grand venture, but I am also excited to see what the road holds for me. I plan on posting a daily trip diary on Facebook so anybody can send me a friend request to follow me as I make my way to Oregon. My name is David Konopelski for Facebook search. Respectfully yours, David.

This is something I wrote that kind of encapsulates not only my Cancer, journey, but my life journey. I was here.! What a mighty thing.!!!

Thanks for reading.

@kono8888

Mighty indeed.

@kono8888
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