Mom gasped for air as her breathing became shallower and the period between her breaths became longer. After one long exhalation, no further breaths came. My mother’s life ended quickly in 2005, but her severe suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to that point was long and unnecessary. Those images of her 10-year struggle to breathe continue to play in my mind in slow motion.

No one should be forced to suffer that way.

I had a front row seat watching my loved one die. Most of us baby boomers have lived through this journey. This experience has made me look at mortality in a new way. It has made me realize that I do not want to die in pain, connected to catheters and tied to machines. I want to die in my own home, surrounded by my loved ones, on my terms. I don’t want to suffer for years the way my mother did.

I am relieved to know that Nevada lawmakers are once again considering a bill that would expand end-of-life care options. One of those options would allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults to obtain prescription medication they could decide to take to die peacefully and end unbearable suffering. 

I am one of the nearly three out of four (73 percent) of Nevada voters who support medical aid-in-dying legislation.

My mother was diagnosed with COPD when she was 71-years-old. She was a life-long smoker. She ran out of breath and could no longer take simple steps to go to the bathroom, much less take a shower. Her condition further deteriorated and she eventually came to live with us in our home, where my husband and I provided 24-hour care. 

Mom ran out of breath, and each breath taken resulted in personal pain. She became more anxious and afraid every day. We were surprised when a hospice told us it was just a matter of days. She was afraid of not being able to breathe and she emotionally left us when she heard the word hospice. Then, after we lost communication with her, she took her last breath and quietly slipped away. It was a helpless feeling.

Although my mother’s death left incredible sorrow in my heart, I am comforted to know that she no longer suffers.

My mom did not have the option to die peacefully, as the End of Life Options Act (AB 351) will afford others. And when my time comes, I want to die on my terms, at my designated time.

Honorable legislators, I urge you to support this compassionate bill so terminally ill Nevadans are not forced to suffer like my mother did. 

Deborah Vonarx is a retired real estate broker who lives in Reno.