Poignant and thought-provoking, your story touched a personal chord (I am sure most readers felt the same way). Death is among the most complex and heart wrenching topics that human beings have been grappling with through the ages, in spite of (and perhaps due to) its inevitability. It is not death per se, but what precedes it. The period of time that leads up to the final moments takes a heavy toll on the caregivers and close ones. Assisted end of life option is probably an even more complex topic as it relies on a either a snapshot of time in terms of consent or wish, or one that may not be possible to express in the current state. No matter how breathtaking our progress in science and technology, we are still helpless when it comes to our final journey and all we can do is to continuously work towards alleviating that pain.