In the light of how people are portraying courage in confronting the end of life these days, here’s what the real thing looks like.
Sgt. Jason Allen, a Rutland VT policeman, died at 35 last week, of cancer. He had come to the sheriff’s department in 2002 and apparently became a friend, role model, and mentor to everybody he met, even the people he arrested. Until the very end, despite his increasing weakness, he continued to volunteer two or three days a week at the Open Door Mission, cooking and serving meals to homeless people. This, folks, is death with dignity.
“Days before his death, the 35-year-old sat cheerily perched on a stool, his young daughter by his side, as he served meals to the homeless. Although his body was betraying him, his contagious smile never wavered and his upbeat spirit never faltered”
Note that he did not let the disability that comes as the body breaks down stop him for living for others. When he became unable to stand and serve, he sat and served. When he could not sit, he received all who came to have a last word with him as he lay in his hospital bed.
Read more here: http://rutlandherald.com/article/20141021/THISJUSTIN/310219999.
