Case 26: Refusal of Life-Sustaining Treatment by a Minor

This is a very unfortunate situation, but an extremely realistic one as well. Pediatric oncology is nothing short of upsetting, but as nurses we must face the fact that we will see this at one point or another if we haven’t encountered it in our personal lives already. While the parents of this situation do not want to live their life without their son, Jimmy, he should definitely be able to participate in the decisions that are made about his life. However, with him being only 11 years old, it would be difficult to leave the decision solely up to him. If the parents were to make the final decision, I believe the oncologist should advise them to also take their son’s wishes into major consideration. It is his life, and if he is accepting of his death and ready to be with God, then the parents need to begin the accepting process as well. While the chemotherapy might extend Jimmy’s life by a few months, what kind of few months will that be for Jimmy? Surely it would be months of more pain and suffering with the same outcome as if he did not receive the treatment at all.

Death and Dying Video

Death is never an easy concept to grasp, but it is one that is inevitable for human life. I, like almost every other person, would like to pass away painlessly surrounded by my family and friends. I would want to be able to say goodbye to the ones I love, and give them the peace of mind knowing that I am accepting of the death before me. I think this would not only make it easier for me, but also the friends and family that I would leave behind.
I personally believe that the key to a death that I have just described is the comfort of the patient. If the patient is not comfortable and is in a lot of pain, it is difficult for them to be accepting of their inevitable death. This also makes it difficult for their friends and family to say goodbye. This is where the topic of physician assisted suicide comes into play. I completely believe in making a suffering patient comfortable to meet their death wishes, but I do not think I would be personally able to administer the medication to end a patient's life. I do not think there is a right or wrong answer to this conflict, and I do believe that each situation is different, resulting in separate decisions and outcomes.