From the New York Times. I Michael Barbara. This is already today these more, he was scheduled to die. John Shields had a surprising idea. He wanted to have a week for himself and he would be they're alive. What Canada has learned from allowing thirteen hundred terminally ill people to choose, and their own death, it's Friday, May twenty sixth green rose red spring, fever eel

When the last time, I was last time that you noticeably felt that you were free, free, when I knew that I could make a decision about ending. My life last June, following a major Supreme Court decision in Canada, the cunning began, allowing its sickish citizens to die with doctors help a year later, a debate. Reaches in Canada, medical community catholic doctors have refused to prevent the or even refer patients to doctors who will, while porters say the law is compassionate and should be expanded. But amid the debate, another conversation is happening within families about how to take control of death. My colleague, Catherine Porter, has been following one man and his family. John Shields was workable couple man. He started out as a pre, in New York City and

for four years, he fell out of the preset he felt very disillusioned and he added a moving to Vancouver Island where he beat a social worker and then he became the head of the biggest Union and British Columbia, which is a very big province and Canada, and the reason I was meeting him was. He was planning his death. I would love to through spring and summer, in their Torreon. To the blossoms common. Another cycle of of life emerge in something, church. All years have lived here. Is that the special needs of spring? In return but the thought of it makes me sad saying goodbye all that is another goodbye that I'm going have to work to John Shields in September two thousand and fifteen striving gonna country road and he blacker the wheel and he had a terrible accident, his car.

Had across a highway, went into a ditch and slammed into a tree. He broke his back in three places and his wife Robin was terribly injured too, while he was in the hospital. They are trying to figure out what causes blackout and they did a cardiac biopsy and they discovered he had this really rare disease. I'm gonna, try and say: right am alone. Doses when I woke up in the moon. Feeling is an acute no moose, like. Furthermore, dangling an ice horror. It's been equally means at the proteins build up and different If your body and their causes organs to malfunction rules in capacity feel robins face he had really bad and bureaucracy and his hands his feet to move

These are not be able to touch the warmth of her shoulders and there is no cure for this, lose the capacity to sit together hold hands, and I know I'm holding her hand, but I can't feel it and he said that when his wife came come and talk to him about medically assisted death. For some to continue living and suffering profoundly and have like so much pain that they can't really function through the pain and and slowly disintegrate in a horrible, painful way for months and months and months want that the first time he felt tat he could be free. I don't want. Next The period of my life to be pains filled has had weeks and weeks of pain,

and I knew all over time China could do something about medically assisted death. Is both voluntary donation and assisted suicide. It means that if you qualify a doctor either prescribe you toxic slurry that will kill you that you drink that you drink you Frank in front of the doktor or the doktor, will put an ivy annual and administer lethal medication. How do you qualify to die in Canada under this law, Well, you have to be an adult and you have to give informed consent, which means you have to be with it mentally and you have to have what is called a grievous and IRAN The medical condition was aiming It means that you have serious an incurable illness that you're in the advanced state of decline because of an illness that your experience

enduring physical or psychological suffering, which is pretty hard to em, to define and that your natural death has become A reasonably foreseeable that you'll Dyson you'll die soon anyway when you people now have exercised their right to die in Canada of Islam, media worse in Canada. Pegged at around one thousand three hundred and John Shields is one of them It's probably the most important thing I'll do having having control over the timing of my death is finished. Sure to my spiritual wellbeing It is a really interesting guy. He was someone who was a huge explore. He was explorer of ideas, a philosophies. He was someone who grew throughout his life in a rather than calcified, and he To believe that one of the rules that maybe he was meant to play was to approach death without fear

and to show people a different way of dying? The work I got on my own spirituality met makes It abundantly clear to me that more conscious. I am of a minute today, the easier it is it's very strange, to hear that someone would be happy even joy to qualify for death? I dont think for those of us who are healthy, I dont think we ve gone down that that tunnel, yet How does a decision like this made by John about choosing to and your own life on your own terms on your own timetable, that change? The rituals that we ask see it with death, and I will that's. What fascinated me the most, if you know it, die tomorrow or you know, you're gonna die next week

you spend your last week? What is your family do I sort of hearing about these parties living wakes land of lay celebrations. Ok, this word fascinates me living wake. What is that a living wake? So what envision awake where people together, they have booze music the land they celebrate your life but you're there you're the here. Therefore me John decided today, for his plan death that he wanted to have a party rather is chicken or room. And they had little room and houses. They called charitably called the celerity M there. Small room and

We held him in his bed last day, anything else. Together today I want to touch every hand and kissed her cheek. I want to be close to people. Who that chicken and he he was incredible because he had been so tight and out of it a lot of time for that, and he was so. He was a master of ceremonies next to my glorious and loving refer devoted, but after today, or not building work in this area. You know when someone is dying, obviously know their dying, but then you know-

it's part of mysteries hands that when the moment the person dies is mister. And you don't know that this is timed that has been my personal and manner It has has today that fit. So that's pretty. Aren't you and he wants to throw a party, and I think you are party, you know I wanna do. Is crime What's, let's just a challenge: no, yeah. To do so

I brought it I shall memory remember, pressure was a great day. The war is over those worn. We have US airlines, about thirty people. There. And you ve got a lot about some Johns abilities. I want to talk about one and each person When around every single person in the room, when I spoke to him and that is in Asia, doing his job that's my greatness. We have many disagreements over the year when we work together, and I guess it's time you set me up most with

he retired who This is another one of those times, but I refuse to take them, I'm not saying goodbye I'll, see you down the road the other or is not far beyond for each of us it mustard like all of his energy, and he was. Essential beautiful, most vibrant self. At that moment, I thought I would take the opportunity So many of my friends we're colleagues, people still blood's threatened here's to make more just and current plays you're, all my friends and since you been on a new drug three days earlier, the last three days he was much better shape. His mind was way more together, he was coherent, he was had more energy slept for the first time.

If I have raised the question, how come Why are you doing this? because of time to answer that we'd be myriad and so I know that his wife and people- very to him had hoped that he would push for the state He didn't want to. Let delay is down to lay his death, many of them in many of his closest people in his family said that it was its. It was hard boiled eggs. Because you saw him. Really ass himself dying, sad never happen, sadness, and I wanted you all for being here for accompanying. We turn journey so unexpected and yet so necessary

and after an hour and a half like clockwork merely to make me rose early and also came in and they unplugged his medication part pump and they pulled him out and he waved everybody seizure later and I will see where there was this kind of love. You John the suspended disbelief like what we just witnessed like so many you will say wow. That was incredible, but I felt like that was a lesson. And how you die hope of my life. I don't think there is anything I'm ready to leave behind my wife. My daughter, I'm a little dog ate all our good friends Why what our war horse whenever time passed between them. Living wake? The Euro

described an Johns death. He didn t die the next morning well. Today is the day of Johns procedure. So how do I feel, but that I feel feel decent about that I mean I feel like I'm here to help John Doktor Green. Is one of them actors in on the west. Elsa. Canada does alot me when this is the bulk of her practice. Now I'm conscious the momentous nature of what about to happen. So I get that and because of that, I am very. Just about doing my job. Well, like I've double checked my paperwork. I've spoken to the family dogs. I've checked with the FAO, in the firms like I've done, I've done my work and have doubled it could. I needs to go smoothly we're sure that we're going ahead today at his side is written permission to do so, then the ivy will be placed by my nurse John? I expect to be wanting to say something so he'll have as much time as little time as he wants to do that and when he's completely done,

ask him. If he's ready to begin, How down the time? Well, And were gathered around him in a circle he was in. His bed and then his wife hang him and said that he had given her radiant love and thanked him for the radiant love and has a daughter was just weeping. She was holding his hand up in hers and show this metallic green nail polish in his hands looked so large, but so sallow in color has lost all feeling in his fingers. He says again feel anything. Any good really see, there's like no blood in his hands and done and then.

He said that his father had always said that he would do something great with his life and he would leave a mark and that he said Adam. He thank everyone for their kindness and said he did he perceived much kindness in his life and he was grateful and then there was silence for a bit and he opened his eyes and he said: are we ready friends? They said,

I am ready and we stood around a mother needles were surreptitiously administered and held hands and discussion die. I just feel better patrol powerful buzz powerful. If a death can be beautiful, which still boggles my mind. I think about is TAT all the time he it was ritual Ized. There was moments of tea. Ritual and ceremony, and he was also funny up to the end he was adding. Levity was making jokes

and he started to say he sang that song who could ask for anything more? No and people around him start singing like he was enjoying himself It's been almost one year since this law came into effect and you ve been studying it really really closely. This whole time What his Canada learned from it, I think aliens are still figuring it out, One thing that this is done is its put the topic of death squarely on the table. You can have a plan death without talking about gas. The people are talking about death more alive, The debate has been around the doctors, but think that there is a cultural shift.

Where scientists in Canada and part of that you see in the rituals and part of that is what makes a good life. What makes a good. Thank you, Catherine thanking icon. If I want people to take away anything from my life, His pro life itself people's her fear is that this could be you Many of us have this option. To be inside fully meaningful. Life is

it's a life of generosity. really

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he's in Premier Sunday July, nineteen, thirty, nine, eight central anti anti go to the elitist dot com for more. Here's. What else you need to know today, a federal appeal, court in Virginia has refused to reinstate president trumps. Revise travel ban, saying a quote drip with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination attorney. Jeff session says the administration will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court and after played from Britain's Prime Minister Teresa may present a tree. Is condemning what he says: we're leaks by the: U S, media about british investigation into Monday's terror attack in Manchester, my administration. The president said: will to the bottom of this maize. Complaint follow New York Times publication of images earlier this week of the shrapnel backpack, and battery used by the bomb Solomon, a body that did not disclose the source of its information. Finally,

voters in Montana, have elected Gregg John Forty, the republican candidate for Congress, Who is accused of grabbing a reporter by the neck, throwing the ground and punching him the day before the election, the occasion, resulted in a misdemeanor assault charge against him. Forty and a reprimand from his future boss Republican. How speaker Paul Lion physical altercations are. There is never a call for fiscal obligations. There is no time where a physical location should occur with the press or would just between human beings. We ve been making the daily for four months now and we want to know what you think about to show so asking you to fill out a short survey which you can find an n times. Dot com, slash Daily survey, that's enlightened! darkened slash daily survey. We appreciate your feedback.

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