To tell or not to tell

This morning I received a phone call from an ex-colleague, G asking my opinion about the possible treatment of her father suffering from cancer.  She told me it is a no hope case as the Doctor treating her father have asked them to let it be and wait for the end.  Her father is in his mid 70s' and he is not aware of his illness except the pain in his leg. He still live and eat well as usual self. So, the Doctor think the best is to keep him in the dark and let live his remaining days out. Her family members also think this is the best but there is nagging and uneasy thought in her, is this the right thing to do ? Is keeping the truth away from his father, fair to him? This is a family issue and I should not intervene.

In my thought , I have these uneasy feeling as well. Is the Doctor behaving like GOD , determing when his or her patient can die or live? Is he or she so sure that there is no cure? And what right, he or she has to decide for the family and also the patient?  Is this the right professional ethic and practice?  I have my doubts and I believe that every patient have the right to know and decide his or her fate and also determine when to die or continue living. Giving the patient false hope, is hypocracy and bitchy.

In case of my FIL, J he was told that he had cancer and the cancer has spread. He has the option to take chemo treatment or herbal option and he choose the latter. He live with the fact that he has cancer and he closed his relationship with his family members and altered his Will and allocate it to his family members. He died a brave man and with no regrets. Maybe Chemo treatment could have extended his life a bit longer but he stick to his choice.

About G's father, I am not an expert in Cancer and I do not know what his chances but even if the chances is 1% or 2% , it is his right to choose to receive treatment or not. If he choose treatment, the family members must support him because he has a right to live. Different cancer patient's re-action to medicine is different and those people who have been marked for death  have survived for years. The advancement in  Medicine have been rapid in these few years and a lot more information is available about this disease. The choice belongs to the patient and nobody else.

So, is it ethical to deny a dying man his wish ? So, we should not play GOD and advise G that she will live with the guilt for the rest of her life , not knowing whether her  father can live longer and survive or not. It will be too late to regret and time is running out , as a delay in action reduces the chance of a cure or a longer life for her father. Living with the guilt add tremendous pressure and stress on the living members.

There is only ONE GOD and we should act like HIM determining when their patient can die.

Namaste.