In the Midst of Life

cause of all our problems. The dilemma has not come upon us through science or medicine,
per se,
nor even from social attitudes to death. It has crept up on us through lack of faith, and hidden between the lines of this book is a plea for a return to the simple understanding that life and death are in God’s hands, not ours.
    Reverence at the time of death used to be accepted without question. All religions require it. ‘A peace beyond understanding’, the Christian church calls for; Buddhists see death as the gateway to Enlightenment, and demand calmness in death; reincarnation is central to Hinduism, and the laws of Karma teach death as a step towards Nirvana; ancient Jewish law has described death as ‘God’s kiss’; Moslems see death as part of Allah’s plan for mankind, against which it is wrong to struggle. Death and religion are closely linked.
    In the secular, and increasingly atheistic age, in which we now live, this ancient teaching has, to a large extent, been denied and discarded, and we find ourselves with a medical dilemma beyond parallel.
    Ifind it hard to understand the mind of the true atheist, who believes that life is nothing more than a series of electrical impulses and biochemical reactions to chemical stimuli. Presumably, such thinkers see death as the worst thing that can occur, because it means the end of everything. Therefore (logically), maintaining the continuance of physical existence, under any circumstances, is entirely justifiable.
    But I do not see things that way. Death may be the end of what we presently call ‘life’, but it is not the end. There is another dimension, a spiritual life that we are all caught up in and cannot escape, which is eternal. I believe that we come from God, and return to God. The awesome mystery of birth and death, both of which I have handled, convinces me of this truth. As the physical body grows weaker and draws near to death, the soul yearns, with unspeakable longing, to return to God, the source of life.
    I have seen this many times, and one cannot say that it is consciously ‘longing for God’. It is yearning for the peace and contentment that enfolds the dying body and calms the dying mind, and, in my view, this comes from, and is part of, God. It is ‘a peace beyond all understanding’, to which we, as human beings, are all entitled.

LAST THOUGHTS
     
    Only six months after this book was first published, I was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and with secondaries in the bones. I want anyone reading the book to know that I am completely at ease with the diagnosis. I have no fears, no worries, no regrets. I do not try to struggle against this – I accept it as part of life. I shall be sorry to leave my dear husband and this beautiful world, but I do not fear what is to come. In fact, I am grateful, very grateful, because we all have to die, and it could be so very much worse. As it is, my family will see probably only a brief period as the cancer takes over. At the moment, I feel only weakness. I can see deathcoming, but if it is to be no more than weakness increasing day by day, then it is no bad thing.
    I feel that everything is slipping away from the periphery, which is rather nice. There are, I am sure, hundreds of things I could, or should, or must be doing, but they become less relevant as the days go by. They just slide away. As everything slides away, what I am left with is faith and love. Faith, which has been the cornerstone of my life, and love, which has been always with me. Love of my husband; our love for each other; love of my daughters and my grandchildren, and their surpassing care of me. And overall, and around all, the love of God. Thanks be to God.
    Jennifer Worth, April 2011
     
    ‘Lord, grant us a quiet night and a perfect end,
    so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances
    of this fleeting world
    may rest upon Thy eternal changelessness’
     
    —
The Anglican office of Compline from the Book of Common Worship

APPENDICES
     
     
Appendix I: Medicalaspects of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation,
David Hackett
    Appendix II: The Paramedic’s Tale,
Louise Massen
    Appendix III: Should patients at the end of life be given the option of receiving CPR?,
Madeline Bass
    Appendix IV: Principles of Palliative Care,
    Madeline Bass
     

APPENDIX I
     
    Medicalaspects of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation DavidHackett, MD, FRCP, FESC.
     
    Consultant Cardiologist, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Imperial