Terminally Ill - What Would You Do

What would you do if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness? That is a question most people never think about. We just assume it will never happen to us or anyone we are close to. It was never a subject of discussion in our household until Bill was diagnosed with colon cancer in January, 2000.

What began as a simple problem with constipation escalated rapidly until the only relief he had was having drunk half a bottle of laxative. While we were enjoying the holidays of 1999 with our children it became very apparent to me that he was sick - this wasn’t just something he could fix with a laxative on a regular basis. At the time we had not known anybody with these symptoms and really didn’t know where to turn for answers.

Bill met with his family doctor in January and within two weeks underwent a surgical procedure to remove most of his colon. His bowels now worked almost normally with an ileostomy. He wore an appliance to handle his bowel waste. There were many weeks of painful recovery from such a terrible surgery followed by several months of chemotherapy. We were all overcome with joy when his doctor said they had gotten the cancer. Once again Bill was free to live his life.

That experience - that brush with death - gave him a new outlook on his life. Before getting sick he spent many hours working hard at a successful business, meeting after work with clients and scheduling weekend appointments, now he came home to spend time with his children. Bill didn’t stop going to the office everyday and he still made a fine living.

Bill told me later that the most important change in his attitude after the cancer was realizing the need to provide for his children if he died. Now that he had that thought foremost in his mind he set about making those provisions. With the help of an attorney friend Bill put his affairs in order. Over the years he had accumulated several life insurance policies, business and real estate interests. With the help of his attorney Bill created a trust for his children which would be funded by the life insurance proceeds.

One year later Bill stoically received the news that his cancer was back and inoperable. I have to admire him for his attitude of normalcy. He was honest with our children and told them he was dying. There was another round of chemotherapy without results. Bill signed-up for an experimental chemotherapy program at a teaching hospital several hours from our home, not because he thought it would prolong his life, but rather in the hope another person could benefit from the results. The day before that experimental therapy was to begin Bill went into the hospital for the last time.

I learned a difficult lesson when Bill died, one he had learned early-on and acted on to his credit. When there are children left behind it is imperative you have life insurance. Without the trust, funded by his life insurance, Bill’s children would be not only struggling with losing their father, but also worrying about their future.

Though several years have passed since Bill died I will always be extremely thankful that he had the love and foresight to create a family trust. Now, as the children graduate from high school and leave for college, they know - because of their Dad - college is not just a dream - but a certainty.

Joanne Robbins has published a wide variety of articles off-line. Robbins current project, slated for December 2006, will address the needs of senior citizens and those who buy for them. Watch for http://www.Boomer-Gear.com

[tags]colon,cancer,life,insurance,trust,[/tags]