Saying No to Treatment
In 1993 Francisca Rodriguez died of AIDS, which she had contracted from her former husband. Prior to her death, she had requested that her family not subject her to futile, life-prolonging treatments. She signed a living will and appointed a health proxy. Rodriguez died peacefully at home, comforted by her family.
Rodriguez left behind a three-year-old daughter, Gabriella. Gabriella was also dying of AIDS, contracted from her mother at birth. Rodriguez had made arrangements not only for her own final days but also for those of her daughter—no experimental drugs or invasive procedures. Gabriella was to live the rest of her short life like any child her age.
Rodriguez's family and the child's doctor honored the mother's wishes. At a time when many physicians were reluctant to give up on dying patients, in part because they feared litigation, and when families usually did not discuss end-of-life care and impending death, Gabriella's family openly discussed her condition with the child and her caregivers. Like her mother, Gabriella died surrounded by her loved ones.
Against All Odds
In October 1994 Ryan Nguyen was born six weeks premature. Diagnosing irreversible brain damage, kidney failure, and intestinal obstruction, hospital doctors recommended that life support be withdrawn. The Nguyens refused to allow their son to die. In response to the parents' petition, the court ordered the hospital to "take whatever immediate steps [are] necessary to stabilize and maintain the life of Ryan Nguyen, including dialysis of the kidney functions."
Approximately two months later, another hospital offered to operate on Ryan's blocked intestine. Following this surgery, the infant required no additional dialysis for his kidney problem and, moreover, a brain scan showed no brain damage. Ryan lived for four years, and though he was a sickly child, his cheerful disposition filled his parents' lives with joy.
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