Category: Celestial Discharge

Celestial Discharge: Ms. Lorraine Bayless, Trailed by Media Mayhem.

~ Pharmer ~ 2 Comments

Prayers for the peaceful repose of Ms. Lorraine Bayless, and prayers for her family, which, by all appearances, is being victimized by a bumbling news media and generally uninformed public.

Prior to her natural death, following a collapse in the dining hall of the Glenwood Gardens Extended Care Facility, the 87 year old Ms. Bayless was residing  in the independent living section of the facility.  Her condition precipitated a call to 911, by an  unnamed nurse.  The 911 dispatcher, in a much publicized call, begged the nurse to administer CPR.  When the nurse refused,  the dispatcher begged her to find someone else who would.

The daughter of Ms. Bayless, also a nurse,  has stated that she is satisfied with the care given to her mother at Glenwood Gardens.

What has precipitated the media storm,  foaming at the mouth, and gnashing of teeth by so many uninformed people, is a statement by KGET television of Bakersfield, California, that the elderly lady had not signed a DNR form.

Interestingly, over in the UK, the Daily Mail says just the opposite, that the women had indeed signed the DNR form.  Most who are commenting  at that  source are wondering what  is causing the big fuss in the U.S..   In their minds, the Glenwood nurse was fulfilling the lady’s wishes.

The two opposing claims are juxtaposed below.

NO DNR:
DNR KGET Lorraine Bayless

YES DNR:
DNR Daily Mail Lorraine Bayless

 

Your friendly Pharmer would like to add that not all elderly people want to be bagged and thumped when they are in the process of leaving this world.   Many truly do opt out of it, as they have accumulated too many health ailments, or fear doing so.  Some realize that the success rate of CPR is not all that terrific, and the outcome for an elderly person very seldom involves springing back to the prior state of health. CPR is also generally painful after the fact, due to cracked ribs, and many other possible injuries.

None of us know the circumstances of Ms. Bayless, nor do we know her final wishes, since reports are conflicting regarding her paperwork.   She need not have used a form to convey how she wished to go, and might have made her intentions known by other means.

Please avoid the temptation to ascribe this event to Obamacare (which is much worse than being allowed to die a natural death in old age).   Please also withhold judgment on the nurse who stayed with Ms. Bayless as the emergency care was summoned.  It would also be good to avoid  assumptions about the daughter of this lady, about whom we know little, other than that she does not intend to rain down legal punishments upon Glenwood Gardens extended care facility.

Having attended a good number of code blue events,  Pharmer quite understands the choice of people to opt out of CPR, and expects to make this choice for herself long before the age of 80.  Many health care professionals actually  feel guilty when they have to perform it on an elderly person who has not expressed their wishes on the matter.

 Update from newsok.com: “City fire officials say Bayless did not have a “do not resuscitate” order on file at the home. Her family said, however, “it was our beloved mother and grandmother’s wish to die naturally and without any kind of life-prolonging intervention.””

Click here for a statement from the family of Lorraine Bayless, and please don’t hound them!  If the first link does not work, try THIS.

Celestial Discharge: C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General

~ Pharmer ~ 1 Comment

The most memorable of our surgeon generals, C. Everett Koop was celestially discharged at the age of 96, on Feb 25th.Koop with patient

Koop was well known, and disliked by leftists for his adherence to Hippocratic standards of medical ethics. A devout Christian,  he was known for praying at the bedside of his patients.  Pro-lifers saw him as a man of conviction, driven by empathy for the sick and suffering.

It remains a mystery to most of the ‘journalosts’  that a man who opposed homosexual activity would be a staunch advocate for HIV research.  Most of the media, when recounting the accomplishments of Dr. Koop, have been remarking on this as though it is somehow contradictory.   The rest of us see no contradiction or anomaly.  Helping the sick is the natural thing to do, regardless of how they acquired the illness.

Dr. Koop began his medical career as a pediatric surgeon, and by 1959 had become professor of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania medical school, and professor of Pediatrics in 1971.  In his 90s, he remained a professor of Surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine. He was founder and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Pediatric surgery.    Koop’s 8 year tenure as U.S, Surgeon General was at the behest of President Ronald Reagan, and up until the time of his death, he remained famous throughout the country for his  service.

Author of hundreds of articles and books on medical practice and policy, Dr. Koop remained a prominent figure in medicine decades after most practitioners retire. He remains recognized for his pioneering work in the area of pediatric surgery.  His first wife, Elizabeth Flanagan passed away in 2007, and in 2010, Dr. Koop married Cora Hogue.  She and three of his children, Allen, Norman and Elizabeth Thompson, as well as seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren remain with us. Prayers for the good physician and his family to be covered with God’s grace.

Pharmer takes this opportunity to pay respect to all of the  surgeons who pray with their patients as Dr. Koop did.  A surgeon who knows he’s not God inspires confidence.  🙂

“American Sniper” Author Chris Kyle Killed at Shooting Range

~ Pharmer

Eddie Ray Routh is being held as the prime suspect in the shooting death of famed Navy Seal Sniper, Chris Kyle, and one other veteran, Chad Littlefield,  at a charity event held at Rough Creek Lodge Shooting Range in Texas.  The two victims were killed at point blank at about 3:30, and the suspect, said to have fled in Kyle’s truck, was apprehended hours later in Lancaster, TX.  Routh is said to have been a marine, with the media providing his impetus for the shooting as post traumatic stress disorder.

Chris Kyle served with Navy Seal Team 3, completing  four tours of duty in Iraq, for which he was awarded numerous military honors.  He is regarded as the U.S. Military’s most prolific sniper. Since leaving the military, he headed a private firm, Craft International, which provided private security and  sniper instruction for law enforcement and military.  A co-founder of FITCO Cares Foundation, Kyle was involved in numerous charities and spent much of his spare time assisting disabled veterans.

After surviving two previous shootings, and six IED explosions, Chris Kyle met his untimely death at age 39, at the hands of a fellow service veteran.   He leaves behind his wife and two children.

Readers who want to understand the mind and career of Chris Kyle can check out his recently released best selling book, American Sniper.

Celestial Discharge: Ravi Shankar, Master Musician

~ Pharmer

India surely counts Pandit (wise teacher) Ravi Shankar’s death, yesterday, Dec 11, as a huge loss.  The master of the sitar has served as a cultural icon and a bridge from that country to the rest of the world.

Visit RaviShankar.org to learn more about this great musician and listen to some of his work. His family tells us that he underwent surgery, which had been expected to alleviate long standing health problems. The heart valve replacement surgery occurred last Thursday, in San Diego, but his 92 year old body was unable to recover from the ordeal.

In November Ravi Shankar made his last public performance, with his daughter Anoushka wearing an oxygen mask. His long and productive life certainly speaks favorably for continuing to work as long as one is able.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid respects to Ravi Shankar, calling him “National Treasure” and ambassador of India’s cultural heritage. Shankar had been recognized in 1999 with the title Bharat Ratna, which means Jewel of India, the highest award for civilians in any field of endeavor.

The world will be missing beautiful music coming from this master. Prayers for Ravi Shankar, his family, and his chief musical heir, Anoushka Shankar.

Celestial Discharge: Unification Church Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon

~ Pharmer

Sun Myung Moon, the Korean religious leader and founder of the Unification Church has died of pneumonia  at the ripe age of 92.   He leaves behind 10 surviving children out of 14, and his second wife, Hak Ja Han Moon.   He was the founder of the Unification Church of about 3 million members, and significant financial assets.   People remember Rev. Moon for his massive wedding ceremonies, involving thousands of followers, and any one else who wanted to be blessed.  He’s also remembered for his interest in free speech and his dislike of communism.

Pharmer doesn’t remember  Rev Sun Myung Moon claiming  divinity along with his messianic ambitions. Unlike Obama, he did not promise to lower the seas. More like Romney, he wanted to help families ;-), as well as to  bring peace and save the world.

The Moonies of the 70s and 80s did seem a bit brain washed to me. They seemed to exhibit some characteristics of the Scientologists, but  it was less like slavery and it was easier to leave the Unification Church.

Most significantly, Pharmer   liked Rev. Moon’s newspaper, the Washington Times. The reporters were meticulously accurate with their story details.

via Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died | TheBlaze.com.

Celestial Discharge: Neil Armstrong First Man on the Moon

~ Pharmer

One of our local heroes, Astronaut Neil Armstrong, has died at age 82 from complications of cardiac bypass surgery.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is Armstrong’s famous quote, radioed back to Earth from the surface of the moon. His flight to the moon, which included landing the Eagle manually on the surface, was the pinnacle following a career as a Naval pilot of just about every kind of military aircraft.

Armstrong attended and taught at local academic stomping grounds of Purdue and University of Cincinnati. He has been much celebrated around this area, though he’s always been the quiet, steadfast kind of guy who had no use for fame and public adulation. He also owned a farm in the vicinity of Lebanon Ohio and preferred the privacy of that environment after his retirement from NASA. He also continued in his Aeronautical engineering profession as an executive and teacher.

Prayers for the family and loved ones of Neil Armstrong. whose last flight is to God. He’s a guy whose quiet courage will be much missed.
Prayers also that America recovers from its cultural slump and the urge to strive, develop and explore will be reawakened.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on moon, dies at age 82 – Cosmic Log.

Celestial Discharge: Ray Bradbury Author of Fahrenheit 451

~ Pharmer

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.

At the age of 91, Ray Bradbury, renowned author and Tea Partier, has passed on to the next life.

Bradbury wrote science fiction classics that astronauts cut their teeth on. In his later years, this anti authoritarian turned towards conservatism, which fit his thinking patterns better than the nanny state model of the left.

One of Bradbury’s notable beefs with Obama concerned the administrations destruction of the NASA space exploration initiatives.

Celestial Discharge: Creator of Red Bull,

~ Pharmer

The inventor of Krating Daeng, a.k.a. Red Bull, has died of natural causes at age 89. Chaleo Yoovidhya, founder of T.C.-Mycin (an antibiotics producer), made an energy drink that was marketed to the workers and truck drivers of Thailand. Later in the 80’s he teamed up with an Austrian businessman, Dietrich Mateschitz, to transform Red Bull into its current,hugely popular, globally distributed form. Chaleo was ranked as one of the world’s richest men, amassing several billion dollars in assets.

The Bangkok press explains that Krating Daeng means ‘red gaur’, a rare bovine creature that lives along the border with Cambodia. ‘Krating’ was changed to “bull” once the drink was distributed globally.

Funeral rites for Chaleo will last all this coming week at the Wat Khrua Wan Worawiharn in Bangkok. Pharmer hopes God smiles on the guy who kept truck drivers awake, and on the road these many years.

Caffeine is wonderful.