"THE COMA."
A million movies have played with the idea (with varying
degrees of inaccuracy),
but the concept never seems to lose its mad-science appeal for theatre goers. “While You Were Sleeping” had its
coma-influenced love triangle, “Monkeybone” painted a bizarre comic view of
death and dreams, and the 1978 flick “Coma” turned the neurological disorder
into an organ-harvesting thriller.
It wasn’t such a huge surprise then, when 2006 came and 39%
of people said that they would reference a cinematic scene in case of a
real-life coma emergency [1]. Not exactly the kind of inspiring numbers
you’d hope for. Not that there’s
anything easy about dealing with a family member in a coma! We aren’t exactly provided with coma-related
touchstones in our everyday lives, Neurology 101 is hardly a high school staple, and
for those with no real medical background, cinema and hearsay could easily provide
the only input for imaginings about
“being in a coma.”
And what if we do
end up in a coma?
It’s a little too late to start making decisions about your
health if you’re unconscious and intubated. And unless you’re prepared to rely on relatives to make the best and
educated choices about your health, it may be wise to think ahead. Starting now.
Which is where a living
will comes in.
Unlike a last
will and testament (that document that decides who gets all your stuff), a
living will is only valid so long as you’re still living. It’s an official
document that specifies exactly how you want things run in case you become
medically incapacitated—whether that means being “in a coma” or being affected
by a degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s.
A living
will usually covers a number of medical questions:
- Which medical treatments are you willing to receive for your illness?
- Will you allow doctors to perform CPR or restart your heart?
- Will you permit the hospital to intubate you for breathing or feeding?
- Will you permit the use of painkillers? Dialysis?
Even for those of us who aren’t remotely worried about making
these kinds of decisions, it can be a good exercise to discuss your preferences
and values with your loved ones. While
it may seem morbid at first, exploring issues surrounding quality of life,
health, and even death can end with you learning more about yourself, your
family, and your relationship with the world around you.
For discussion about or assistance with legal issues surrounding wills, visit our Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration Law Forum.
by Kate Beall
Leona
Helmsley made news last year when the contents of her Last
Will and Testament were made public. While billions of dollars made it into the
hands of a charitable trust, a substantial sum-- $12 million—was set aside
specifically for her 9 year-old Maltese dog, “Trouble.”
