BY PHILIP G. JOHNSON
CatholicPhilly.com
Philip Johnson, a 30-year-old seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh who has terminal brain cancer and is studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, writes in response to Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman from Portland, Ore., who has publicly stated her plan to commit suicide due to her own terminal brain cancer. This article originally appeared on the website of the Raleigh Diocese.
Last week I came across the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer one year after her wedding. When doctors suggested that she might only have six months to live, she and her family moved from California to Oregon in order to obtain the prescriptions necessary for doctor-assisted euthanasia. She is devoting her last days to fundraising and lobbying for an organization dedicated to expanding the legality of assisted suicide to other States.
Brittany’s story really hit home, as I was diagnosed with a very similar incurable brain cancer in 2008 at the age of twenty-four. After years of terrible headaches and misdiagnosis, my Grade III brain cancer (Anaplastic Astrocytoma) proved to be inoperable due to its location. Most studies state that the median survival time for this type of cancer is eighteen months, even with aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. I was beginning an exciting career as a naval officer with my entire life ahead of me. I had so many hopes and dreams, and in an instant they all seemed to be crushed. As Brittany said in her online video, “being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you’re going to die tomorrow.”
Philip Johnson, a 30-year-old seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh who has terminal brain cancer and is studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, writes in response to Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman from Portland, Ore., who has publicly stated her plan to commit suicide due to her own terminal brain cancer. This article originally appeared on the website of the Raleigh Diocese.
Last week I came across the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer one year after her wedding. When doctors suggested that she might only have six months to live, she and her family moved from California to Oregon in order to obtain the prescriptions necessary for doctor-assisted euthanasia. She is devoting her last days to fundraising and lobbying for an organization dedicated to expanding the legality of assisted suicide to other States.
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