Karen Oelschlaeger Desperately Wanted to Live Her Life. She Also Wanted to Have a Say in When It Ended.

Karen followed her doctors’ advice and they treated the cancer aggressively – eight weeks of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove part of her stomach and small intestine, then more chemo and radiation. The painful nine-month ordeal left her fatigued, dehydrated, malnourished and unable to keep most food down. “Karen desperately wanted to live,” says Linda. “She loved food and travel and life. She had so many things she wanted to accomplish.”

Karen also knew the medical odds were against her, says Linda. She knew that if the cancer returned, the road ahead would include horrible suffering. And while she wanted to eke every last moment of joy and meaning out of her life, she also wanted to have a say in when it ended. As an attorney, Karen knew that she legally had that right, thanks to the Vermont Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act, which allows certain terminally ill adults to obtain a prescription for a dose of lethal medication. “Karen was such an independent soul. I wasn’t surprised when she began talking about that option not long after she was diagnosed,” recalls Linda.

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https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/a38236476/medical-aid-in-dying-karen-oelschlaeger/?source=nl&date=033022

Scripture tells us that the very hairs on our head are numbered by the Lord as are the days that we will live. The Bible also tells us that we live ONCE and then the judgement.

For Christians, absence from the body (physical death), is to be with the Lord. For Non-Christians, absence from the body (physical death), means separation from God and His Holy Spirit.