Take My Hand
EOL: Living Life to the Fullest
Welcome
Welcome to Take My Hand, an online resource for all those who find themselves confronted with end-of-life matters involving a terminal diagnosis and/or prognosis. I am a firm believer that, under these circumstances, time is of the essence. It is my hope to provide caregivers, loved ones and patients with the helpful insight, resources and tools to make the most of their time through the greatest challenge of a life journey.
The End of Life Options Act, California’s right-to-die-law for terminally-ill patients was suspended as of Friday, May 25, 2018. The issue at hand appears to center upon the manner in which this legislation was passed in a special session in 2015, rather, than, the legal considerations as to the act itself. For terminally-ill patients as well as their loved ones in the State of California, this may be a very important development… Read More
Before we get started, here are some key points that I learned with each loved one. Please note that this listing is not meant to be all-inclusive but, rather, to provide some basic guidelines upon which to start to form a caregiving foundation. Additional details on the following points and much more will be included in future posts. This is about living. “I may have a terminal prognosis but, I am still… Read More
Terminally-ill? Terminal prognosis? Advanced stages? What are you talking about? I just came in for a simple scan and now you tell me that I only have so much time left to live? It would be best to start getting my affairs in order. Really? You must have the wrong records, right? There must be a mistake. I am going to get another opinion! What do you doctors know anyway? Only God… Read More
In June 1992, I received a phone call that would forever change my life. My younger brother, Jimmy, called me to share that he had just been diagnosed with AIDS, which was unexpectedly discovered during the early stage of an elective surgery procedure that he was undergoing to resolve some minor issues with his sinus. Only four months earlier, he had tested negative for HIV. Without hesitation, I agreed to be his… Read More
Take My Hand 