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SALT LAKE CITY — In 2004, Gov. Gary Herbert's family faced tough decisions when his brother reached the end of a long terminal illness. The brother told his family in advance he did not want to live hooked up to machines.
"It was hard for us to let him go," Herbert said. "We thought he would linger with us a lot longer than he did, but we were comforted to know that he made the decision."
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Decisions to consider when beginning the end-of-life discussion
Death is a somber subject to tackle, and there are several challenges surrounding decision making for end-of-life care.A few years later, the governor's father was diagnosed with bone cancer, and again the Herbert family faced the decision to end life support.
"My mother had been given directive by my father, and she made the decision this is not the way he wanted to live," Herbert said.
Last year, the governor's mother became ill. But this time the family had not expected it.
"Fortunately, the decision had been made," Herbert said, "although it was hard on some of the siblings to make the decision and respect my mother's wishes."
Helpful Links:
Life's Final Journey
Advance directive and end-of-life planning is an important and neglected topic. This week, Deseret Media Companies has joined a coalition to raise awareness about the issue, in conjunction with passage of SCR2. Here are some links to help you learn more about end-of-life planning.Friday, the governor shared these personal experiences at the signing of a joint resolution that encourages Utahns to make end-of-life decisions in advance. SCR2, sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Pat Jones, asks Utahns to consider making their own decisions, appointing an agent and having those tricky conversations before a crisis hits.
"This is for everyone to think about; because as you all know, chronic conditions and accidents can happen at any age," Jones said.
The senator also had to face a situation similar to the governor's experiences, and she said she was grateful her father had made the decision easier for his family.
"I think that's the best gift my dad gave to me, was knowing what what his wishes were," she said.
Herbert said advance planning provided the gift of being able to "take care of our loved ones at these very difficult and emotional and stressful times, as they would want to be taken care of."
