Craig Ewert has ALS which is the weakening of muscles until paralysis and eventually death. It is incurable and the guy in this movie had it. He was diagnosed four months prior to the film and after numerous dicussions with his wife they decided to go to Dignatis an assisted suicide center in Zurich, Switzerland. He claims that he would have been an empty shell (referring to paralysis) for months to only then reach an undeniable death, so he took matters into his own hands while he was still himself. His wife supported whatever he decided but was of course heart broken when it actually came to his death by drinking sodium ******* which was closely monitored by two workers of Dignatis. The process had to be video monitored to prove that it really was a suicide.
WELL TO BEGIN WITH, who in the heck would take that job?????? You're basically a legally approved serial killer. The guy in this situation was literally smoking pot just to get over what I suppose he had to do everyday. Can you imagine? Waking up and saying, "Time to go to work! Bye honey I'm off to kill people and make their families depressed! What are we having for din-din?" ----"Oh casserole dear! Little Timmy and Little Suzy want to hear all about your busy day when you come home! Sweetie you forgot your suitcase of butchers knives and nooses!" How does someone even apply for that job anyway? "Well here's my resume. As you can see I went to medical school and also I was an intern at an animal shelter; oh yeah, I've killed plenty of cute, fluffy puppies and kittens before. Also, my mentor is Jack the Ripper," I cannot possibly imagine what type of person you would have to be. It boggles my mind.
Anyway, he was incredibly level minded about the whole thing. He really did love life. He appreciated his time on Earth and wished it didn't have to end. He wasn't depressed or emotional; if anything he was incredibly left-brained about the whole thing. He just saw it logically as he was going to die either way he might as well be peaceful, ready and on his terms. The really sad thing for me personally was that he had no faith of any sort. I am a Methodist but I wouldn't have minded if he was Hindu as long as he believed in something before he died. He had no idea where he was going or even if he was going anywhere. He was trading a life of what he knew would happen for the unknown of whatever the next is. That was the only thing he seemed to be sad of, that he believed that it was truly over and that there was nothing afterwards.
I was literally shaking and had a sick feeling in my stomach throughout the entire procedure Even thinking about it now I feel queasy. I have never seen a real dead person, in person, before due to welcome censorship from parents in my early years during the very late years of some scarcely known elderly relatives. And I've certainly never seen a real person die before even on video. It was a lot more quiet than the movies ever portrayed. Not that I based any predictions on 'Scrubs'. (Which is an amazing tv show and I highly recommend, and it's on Netflix of course).
I can't honestly express even to myself how I feel about this. I'm against suicide 99.99999999% of the time it's a permanent decision based on non-permanent emotions. But this guy wasn't doing it solely on emotions he was in physical pain and I'm not saying that it's right in any sense because you never know what would have happened if he had just waited and seen. What if they cure ALS next year? Then it would have been all for nothing. so actually yes I will conclude saying I am 100% against suicide. It's never the only option.
Well now I head to a much needed soccer practice and I have Gangam Style on repeat to lift my spirits. One last thing that made me think was that Craig chose Beethoven's ninth symphony to die to. That made me consider what would the last song I would want to hear be? Imagine, the last sounds of this world you will ever hear again. What would you choose? For me I think it would be Furious by Jeremy Riddle.
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