lady from New Jersey spoke about her choice to take her own life instead of continuing to live with a fatal condition.
Barbara Goodfriend revealed in her last appearance with CBS Evening News’ “Eye on America” that she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in April 2024.
Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is also known as ALS, is a rare degenerative illness that causes the muscles to gradually become paralyzed. The initial symptoms that patients notice are twitching or weakening in a limb, which is then followed by slurred speech.
The Mayo Clinic states that the illness damages the nerve cells in the brain and spine that govern muscular function. As a result, patients gradually lose the ability to talk, eat, walk, and breathe without assistance. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, there is no treatment for ALS, and people who are diagnosed with the disease often pass away within three to five years. On the other hand, some patients may survive for decades.
After Goodfriend was diagnosed, the physicians informed her that she may not survive until the autumn of 2024.
The 83-year-old widow chose to exercise her right to medical assistance in dying (MAID) as her health rapidly deteriorated. It’s distinct from euthanasia since the patients themselves give prescription medications to terminate their lives, rather than a doctor. In the United States, euthanasia is against the law.
Goodfriend acknowledged that, even though she was not prepared to pass away, living with a terminal condition seemed to be more difficult.
“What am I going to give this up for?” To use a wheelchair? To have a tube for feeding? She told CBS journalist Nikki Battiste, “I wish I had more time to live, but I don’t want more time as a patient.” “I hope that something will be done and that something will be accomplished so that other people can have the same privilege that I have.”
She had the choice accessible to her because of the MAID Act, which was enacted in New Jersey on August 1, 2019. Patients with terminal diseases are permitted by law to use de.adly drugs to terminate their lives without the supervision of their medical staff.
MAID laws have been approved in California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, Colorado, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maine, and New Mexico, in addition to New Jersey.
Goodfriend said that no one attempted to convince her to change her mind about dying. Carol, her daughter, told the outlet that it was tough to support something so challenging, but she stated that the “ultimate love” she could provide was to obey her mother’s desires.
In November, Goodfriend passed away. On her last day, she was in bed with her family and friends.
“I’ve spent the week with family and friends. We have all cried a lot, but we have also laughed. She remarked, “We have had a great time being together.”
“I don’t fear loss… I fear living.”
