Euthanasia!

Yesterday I saw Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish about Euthanasia. The story is set in Goa, home to one of the most accomplished magicians of the time - Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan). As fate would have had it, Ethan is severely injured when his former best friend Yaseer Siddiqui (Ash Chandler), who was also a magician betrays him by ruining one of his dangerous magic trick, causing him to become quadriplegic. Now a wheelchair-user, Ethan's willpower only gets stronger and stronger. He becomes the Radio Jockey of an FM Station called Radio Zindagi. His show spreads magic and hope and laughter through his irrepressible wit and humor to every listener and caller, making it difficult to imagine that this is a man who has been living with a spinal injury for the last fourteen years of his life. Tired of his life he fights to make his suffering to come to an end by asking the government of Goa to allow his death. Allowing the death of a person is very much debatable, and open to every one’s point of view.

I have seen some very special people close to me with some horrible diseases like Alzheimer’s and, Cerebral Palsy. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. A person with this disease usually develops slowly and gradually worsens over time, progressing from mild forgetfulness to widespread brain impairment. Chemical and structural changes in the brain slowly destroy the ability to create, remember, learn, reason, and relate to others. As critical cells die, drastic personality loss occurs and body systems fail. While Cerebral Palsy may involve muscle stiffness (spasticity), poor muscle tone, uncontrolled movements, and problems with posture, balance, coordination, walking, speech, swallowing, and many other functions. The severity of these problems varies widely, from very mild and subtle to very profound. In both cases patients are very much dependable on someone else for common live activities.

My aunt and more than a mother Ammi Bibi was diagnose with Alzheimer’s disease by the late 90s. Her condition went decreasingly worse as time pass by. Not only mentally but, also physically relying on a maid or nurse for feeding, cleaning, moving around in a wheel chair while she could. Her husband Dr. Pir Nasir, for me Abbu Nasir, was dedicated to her for the next 10 years of her life. I have never asked him and, I am sure that he never has the thought of take her life and end her suffering. For me being a close to Ammi Bibi it never came close to my mind to try to relief her by taking her life.

The elder sister of my mom was caught by Cerebral Palsy. The entire right hand side of her body was paralysed. She was also stuck to a wheel chair for the rest of her life. Her family saw her suffering for some years. We (me and my family) had the fortune to attend her during this very this painful journey of hers. The few months that she was with us we were all fighting and praying for her prompt recovery. She had many physical therapies and exercises to recover movement in her paralysed hand and leg. All of us were happy to have her alive.
My wife father recently is also the victim of Cerebral Palsy. He is in the same condition as my elder aunt for several years now. I felt that my sister, and mother in law are willing to go any further to settle their father/husband condition and, see him walking, talking as he use to once.

I think life is given by God Almighty and we have no right to take it away. No matter in what conditions or circumstances. On the other hand living what each of these patients with long term diseases and, very remote percentage of recovery available whatsoever are going through is impossible to imagine. God forbid if I were in those conditions I would be saying use Euthanasia on me. People who loves and care about the person in question are to be asked if they wanted to get someone take the life of their loved one. There are so many ways to point out and so much to say about it but, at the end. Life is hope, till you have the hope to win against death I think you should keep fighting till the end.

Lots of Love…

DiL