Counting Down But Not Out With Lung Cancer
By Don Colburn, The Oregonian, Aug. 1, 2007
Lovelle Svart learned at age 57 that she has lung cancer. Because the tumor had spread outside her lungs, doctors warned that she would be lucky to live more than two years.
That was nearly five years ago.
Lovelle went through one round of chemotherapy and two of radiation. Her symptoms -- mainly fatigue, shortness of breath, abdominal cramping and pain -- have gradually worsened. In June, her doctor estimated she had six months or less to live.
Lovelle agreed to share the experience of the final phase of her life, including her choice whether to pursue doctor-assisted suicide -- Lovelle prefers the term "hastened death" -- under Oregon's unique-in-the-nation Death With Dignity Act.
Lovelle backs that law, although she's not sure whether she would use it to end her life. When Oregon successfully defended the law before the U.S. Supreme Court, Lovelle allowed the state to name her as someone whose life could be affected directly by the case's outcome.
A native Portlander, Lovelle worked for many years at The Oregonian as a news researcher before retiring in 2003.
"This society," she says, "needs to talk more about death and dying."
Lovelle will talk about the experiences of her final months, primarily through video. We want viewers to hear her voice directly. We will strive to post a new video from Lovelle each week at http://blog.oregonlive.com/multimedia, depending on her condition and availability. During the next months, we hope that viewers will join the conversation by offering their own comments. We hope the online diary expands to include others' words and stories.
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