Assisted Suicide Has Its Merits
By George Matheson, Barre Montpelier Times Argus, March 17, 2006
Letters
I watched, as a young boy, my dad die a slow, painful death from heart failure. I was 10 years old. My mom was a sickly woman. In 1974 I had to take over doing the grocery shopping and running errands. By 1987, my mom was too sick to be left alone, falling a lot and getting forgetful, leaving the stove running or the iron on. So, I retired to stay home with her. I watched her die a very painful death from osteoporosis. You could hear her from the parking lot screaming in pain in her final days at the Woodbridge Home. It was horrible. As some of you know, I have suffered several heart attacks in the past few years. I'm in a lot of pain most of the time. I've become an old grouch – it's the pain talking. I've always been known for my kindness and friendship. Some take me wrong. It's my way to try to bring joy and happiness to others. You wouldn't let your poor dog or cat suffer in pain, or a horse from a broken leg. You would take them to the vet and give them the needle and end their suffering. As my heart gets weaker, I should have the chance to have a doctor give me a shot to stop my heart forever. They do it for heart surgery. Why not to end my suffering, when the time comes?
A lot of you wave to me on my walk on Williams-town road. No doctor could give better medicine than a smile or a wave from all of you. I managed a snow sculpture for the girls who helped me recover. In closing, I will leave you with one final thought. Upon life's highway you will find all but one true friend to smile and wave so happily, so happy to see you, so sad when you must go. Cherish them forever, and never let them leave your heart. That's how I want to be remembered, a friend from the heart.
George Matheson,
Williamstown
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