I wrote an article about my dad's death, and how it affected my views on assisted dying Free version of the article in the next post Views are my own, not those of the institutions or academies I'm associated with www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar... - ThreadSky

sjblakemore.bsky.social • 76 days ago

I wrote an article about my dad's death, and how it affected my views on assisted dying

Free version of the article in the next post

Views are my own, not those of the institutions or academies I'm associated with

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/what-my-dads-death-taught-me-about-the-assisted-dying-debate-gdd93hfq2

Comments

nedglasier.com•76 days ago

This is very moving, thanks for sharing it.

thatfairbairn.bsky.social•76 days ago

Sorry for your loss. I hope it gives you and your family some peace to know that he didn’t suffer too much pain in those final days. I believe that we must improve palliative care. The present system is not fit for purpose.

dogmouse.bsky.social•76 days ago

Thank you for (accessibly!) sharing your profoundly honest and moving experience with your lovely father. My own dad died recently at 97, after choosing a coffee eclair and the FT crossword over a doctor for his chest pain, and I too saw how much care, time, choice matter at the end of life ❤️

crittermad.bsky.social•76 days ago

So sorry for your loss, an excellent article. I think the ability to have some control, as the dying person, is really important.

texasbuckley.bsky.social•75 days ago

Thank you for sharing this.

My parents both died in the hospital.

My mom was a hospital oncology nurse. Both my dad & my mom died in her former unit, cared for by her former unit friends.

I wished there were hospice options for both of them (1980 + 1993.)

gordoncph.bsky.social•75 days ago

Dear Sarah-Jayne, that is a brilliant and touching article. I knew your dad well, and worked with him over many years. He was a great and good man. I also know how delighted he would have been at your FRS! Your article will have a big effect on the discussions about palliative care - and so on.

tuomaspernu.bsky.social•76 days ago

One of the best articles on assisted dying I have read.

sjblakemore.bsky.social•76 days ago

I wrote an article about my dad's death, and how it affected my views on assisted dying, published in the Times

Free version here

demcath.bsky.social•76 days ago

Thank you for writing this article ,it was a beautiful tribute to your Dad and highlighted the importance of good palliative care. After recently losing my Dad, I totally agree with everything you say. It's vital that there is more funding for palliative care.

matthewbroome.bsky.social•71 days ago

A beautiful piece - your amazing dad and your incredible family. Love to you all

onceup.bsky.social•76 days ago

Your article is a wonderful expression of the love and sharing amongst your family of your Dads passing as a result of MND. My beautiful wife died with MND at just 47, in such care at a hospice she actually loved thru those days. Respite in her 14 months and the end. Her laugh permeated the halls. ❤️

matttkk.bsky.social•75 days ago

What a wonderful and intensely human piece, thank you for opening up your experience for others to understand.

marje54.bsky.social•76 days ago

Life is a journey that is for sure & end of life is no different & ever changing .. lovely piece. Thank you

drgbuckingham.bsky.social•75 days ago

This was so moving, and resonated really powerfully with me. Thank you for sharing this

elaine5.bsky.social•76 days ago

Thanks for sharing your experience.

dickretired.bsky.social•76 days ago

My Dad got severe dementia and when he got pneumonia we agreed that the doctor shouldn’t treat it. This was his suggestion. I am on dialysis and it comes to it would decide to stop. Of course the arguments are difficult. But in the end I support assisted dying.

plumjam61.bsky.social•76 days ago

Brilliant article and like others I am so sorry to hear about your father’s death.

discript.bsky.social•76 days ago

The article rings true to me as an unpaid carer for two members of my family at once, one of whom died in a hospice. It’s astonishing how little funding the hospice movement receives from government. Their work is so valuable to those facing a terminal diagnosis.

gavinyamey.bsky.social•75 days ago

Thank you for this piece. I was one of his undergraduate students at Oxford a long time back (and was also a student representative on a committee with him). He was such a kind & encouraging & brilliant man.

artmanpath.bsky.social•76 days ago

Great article! Your father was my science hero when I did my Neuroanatomy BSc in the 1970s. A truly inspirational man!

alisonacone.bsky.social•76 days ago

thank you for sharing your journey with us. your dad sounds simply remarkable.

drlucymaddox.bsky.social•75 days ago

So sorry to hear about your Dad. He was a brilliant lecturer when I was an undergraduate. Your piece is beautiful and thoughtful. Thank you for sharing your experience - it’s such a nuanced issue.

maxsang.bsky.social•76 days ago

A very moving article. I'd missed the news of your father's death, sadly. As a budding physicist in the early 90s he was one of my guides to the squishy sciences and I learned a lot from his articles and books. RIP Colin

philwells.bsky.social•71 days ago

So sorry to hear about your loss. I remember your dad from watching The Mind Machine on TV when I was a kid. Thank you for sharing the story of his final days.

eleanorchats.bsky.social•75 days ago

This is a beautiful piece, thank you for sharing your dad's story. Oxford has some wonderful hospice care (I had the privilege of volunteering at Helen House children's hospice for a while) and I agree that we need to talk a lot more about inequalities in accessing quality palliative care.

kathyhirshpasek.bsky.social•75 days ago

Such a touching story. I empathize as I watch a friend making the same non-decision with brain cancer.

tomhartley.me.uk•76 days ago

What a brilliant article. Thanks so much for writing it. Because of your dad's unique situation, his experience (and yours, and your family's) are particularly useful to know about.

silparacchini.bsky.social•75 days ago

Thank you for sharing. Just been through similar situation with my mum. I am still processing and your article makes lots of important points.

sharonmoncur.bsky.social•76 days ago

Thankyou for sharing this

dorotheacalm.bsky.social•76 days ago

I echo your plea for much better funding for hospices and for palliative care to be available to so many more, it’s not just about end of life care. Hospice staff are magnificent. Heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Thank you for sharing

berdyaev.bsky.social•71 days ago

Assisted suicide is a very, very bad idea. Removing the legal barrier will open up a flood tide of cruelty and injustice and inhumanity.

endoflifecare.bsky.social•74 days ago

Professor Blakemore, my condolences for the loss of your parents.

And a heartfelt thank you for teaching us through your family's experiences.

vvheye.bsky.social•74 days ago

Very sad, but thought provoking and elevating too.

jeffmyau.bsky.social•76 days ago

I’m sorry for the pain you and your family experienced. Thank you for sharing your story and thoughtful perspectives.

jackstilgoe.bsky.social•76 days ago

Thank you Sarah-Jayne. I think I told you before, but your Dad was very kind to me on a few occasions during my journey through science policy. He is much missed.

ecwestcott.bsky.social•75 days ago

Moving and thoughtful, thank you for writing this.

amymarie3456.bsky.social•76 days ago

This is touching and so beautifully written, thank you for sharing. I lost my breath and my eyes brimmed with tears as his situation changed. You were all able to communicate on many levels, he loved you all and life.

kathrynbates.bsky.social•71 days ago

Thank you for sharing your experience Sarah-Jayne

drshirleyr.bsky.social•76 days ago

Beautiful and eloquent - thank you for sharing

sharpinsky.bsky.social•75 days ago

This is very moving. So sorry for your loss. Excellent article which really tackles the difficulties associated with the issue.

grahampringle.bsky.social•65 days ago

I'd like to read, but my mum died in August. Maybe later. Good on you!

amicusmortis.bsky.social•47 days ago

Thank you kindly for sharing

daniedou.bsky.social•75 days ago

Moving article that highlights the importance and dignity of palliative care for the patient (and family). Thank you for writing this.

trefeca.bsky.social•76 days ago

Coincidentally, one of the leading news stories in the local paper is that our local hospice needs to lose about a fifth of its staff because rising costs & flat funding, mostly voluntary, make it nonviable. We may not get AD but we won't get a guarantee of good palliative care either. Low priority

somersetlad.bsky.social•76 days ago

Very thought provoking and beautifully written, as you say, the partial funding of hospices, with the rest relying on donations, really needs to change

fascinatorfun.bsky.social•11 days ago

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this tender and deeply reflective article.

I am so so sorry that your Dad and your family had to endure such anguish.

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