Sunday, February 4, 2001

One man's battle with terminal illness

By Marjory Sherman Eagle-Tribune Writer

What do we owe the dying?

OUR VIEW

We need to think about the kind of care our society offers to those with terminal illnesses. A Londonderry man is helping us askthe right questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ric Blake is a brave man performing an invaluable service. Mr. Blake is dying -- and he is willing to let us tell you what that is like.

The value in this is not some kind of morbid voyeurism. It is a rare opportunity for us to see what a dying person goes through -- the problems faced, the obstacles encountered. In witnessing this, we might each develop ideas to ease that passage, one we all ultimately face.

And Mr. Blake might have some suggestions of his own.

We would do well to listen to them.

Mr. Blake, 55, of Londonderry, N.H., is the public information officer for the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence.

Mr. Blake has been fighting cancer of the thyroid for more than five years now. In July, he learned that his cancer is no longer responding to treatment.

That means Mr. Blake will die. It could take six months. It could take six years. No one knows. This much is certain: As Mr. Blake says, "Short of being hit by a bus, this cancer is going to kill me."

Mr. Blake invited The Eagle-Tribune to follow his story. In an occasional series, reporter Marjory Sherman will write on Mr. Blake's personal journey as he deals with his terminal illness.

Mr. Blake has a purpose. He hopes to turn our attention to end-of-life care, including the pain control, emotional support, nutrition guidance and alternative therapies he believes should be available to everyone in his position.

Sadly, they are not.

Palliative care, as such treatment is known, does not exist locally in any organized form. Hospice is available for those close to death. But there is nothing for those farther out, who seek to live the best life possible as they prepare to die.

We hope that our stories on Ric Blake's journey raise questions and engender debate among our readers. What services should be available? Who should pay for them? What do we, as a civilized society, owe to those who are dying?

We commend these questions to your attention.

And we thank Ric Blake for having the courage to raise them.