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stipulated that he did not want to be resuscitated. I brought the desire to not be recoated to the attention of nurses and his physician and the doctor said he would write the DNR order. Later in the day, John began having seizures and I remained with him through the night. At one time, I asked a nurse to check whether or not the DNR order was written. It was not! I remained through the night, as John continued with seizures and 102 fever. I kept the chart with me. When the physicians came to make rounds they demanded the chart. I would not relinquish it until they had written the DNR order and fulfilled John's wishes. I though the security guard was going to have me arrested, but I was determined to have John's wishes honored. This is a man who would not have easily given up his life. He was filled with talent, was close to the Creator, and might have had a long life ahead of him had he not contracted HIV.

Today, doctors, chaplains, nurses, social workers, and others in hospitals talk with those who desire an order to not resuscitate and they assist them in writing the specifics of their desires (the circumstances when the DNR would be initiated). Allowing the natural process of death to occur is foreign to many medical professionals, and few of us truly want to die.

In the worse case scenario someone who has some suicidal ideation may indeed initiate an order to not resuscitate. Those who work with people who are planning for end of life, are generally astute to the many reasons one might want a DNR order and may gently guide someone they believed to be suicidal to professional help.

We can't second guess everyone and we are obligated to honor the desires of one another.

Learn more about this author, Claudia Windal.
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