My momma was a strong woman. Stronger than any one person should ever have to be. She loved everyone, even in times where she found it hard to love herself. 

My momma was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) when I was about 12 years old. For 17 years I watched her fight, rally and try to overcome every obstacle this diagnosis threw her way. The MS started to slowly take away bits and pieces of her life. Her vision was blurry, she could no longer eat nor drink all the things she loved the most. Then it took her ability to walk, to sit..to do anything unassisted.  Though she had became bedridden she still managed to find happiness and love her life. Though she was in imaginable pain she found a way to smile. And to make everyone around her smile. She had a daily goal to make atleast 5 people smile. And she wasn't satisfied until she had succeeded. 

2 weeks ago my momma was brought to concord hospital. She had sepsis, aspiration pneumonia an ovarian contorsion, many many kidney stones they believed had caused her to become septic. My momma knew what she wanted for herself. She didn't want to be hooked up to alot of machines.  She didn't want a trach or a feeding tube. She didn't want to live if there was no quality of life to be lived. We as her daughters respected her wishes. My sister having been chosen to make the most difficult decisions she would ever. Stuck to her wishes. 

August 29th 2020 at 7:25 am my momma was called home. Finally free of pain and suffering. Finally free of the body that held her prisoner for so long. But not before we had to watch her slowly deteriorate. The lively loving woman we once new wasnt the same woman we had been watching. You won't ever understand what it's like practically begging your parent to move on, to be free. To end her suffering. 

NH doesn't have a death by dignity law. Which is ironic to me being the state slogan is "live free or die". How can one possible "live free" when you are trapped inside your own body, in pain not able to eat or drink and Not able to walk? Being in a nursing home stuck there, not being able to see your children or grandchildren. Basically just living out the remainder of your days a hermit. Alone.

Only 10 states in this country have a death by dignity law despite 72% of Americans supporting it. Who are we to say "im sorry you were given a sick, fragile body. But my moral objections won't allow me to let you die on your terms and with peace?" Who are we to ask that our loved ones continue to suffer because death by dignity is assisted suicide and suicide is a sin? The real sin is watching your loved one struggle to stay awake, struggle to breathe and be unconscious for several days just waiting for the "natural death process" to take place. Its absolutely CRUEL to have your loved one starve and dehydrate to death but be too strung out on the morphine and pain killers to even realize. It is time for a change! 

You bring a sick or injured animal to the vet and they determine nothing else can be done for them, they are allowed to die and be at peace. They don't have to wait for their bodys to fail them. They don't have to wait for natural death to take place. They get to be free. So why can't people have that same courtesy? Why do we have to just wait to die? Why do our loved ones have to watch us suffer? 

I am harvesting my anger, my rage, my frustration and pain to ask the governor to establish a death by dignity law in my beautiful momma Linda's name. To give everyone suffering the chance to choose when and how they go. Please,  I beg you.  You wont ever understand until it happens to you, I pray it never does. It is unbearable.