Madam, – To die, or not to die! That appears to be the pertinent question when one is diagnosed with motor neuron disease – what your TV critic “euphemistically” calls “a deadly neurological condition” (Bernice Harrison, Weekend Review, June 18th). Recently, TV viewers saw Peter Smedley, a wealthy 71-year-old, who had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease, take his own life at the Dignitas clinic, Switzerland.
Far be it from me to question another’s actions, but I do feel that every time motor neuron disease is mentioned, it is, inevitably, coupled with negative overtones. Scientists, we are told, have made great leaps in finding cures for diseases such as cancer, heart and, thank God, cystic fibrosis, but the death knell immediately tolls for those of us who are diagnosed with motor neuron disease. “A deadly neurological condition”! Not so, or should I say, no more so than with any other condition. We are all born to die.
More than a decade ago , I was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. I understood the prognosis. A friend had died with the disease. Ten years later, I can honestly say that, had the Dignitas clinic beckoned at the beginning of this century, I would have missed some of the best years of my life, enjoying my family, watching my grandchildren grow, having wonderful holidays, appreciating my true friends.
On a daily basis, for more than 30 years as a national school teacher, I encouraged the children in my care to have a positive approach to life, to see the bottle half-full. This philosophy – not to deny the fact that I had an extremely concerned, caring, positive thinking, expert neurologist, Prof Michael Hutchinson – kept me afloat.
Any bridge player will tell you that success in the game depends on how the hand of cards dealt is played. Or, as Maeve Binchy very wisely remarked last week, “We make our own life”. Having said all that, it is a privilege to get a “wake-up” call. To quote Henry W Longfellow, “Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal!” – Yours, etc,