From Sheri & Bob Stritof,
Your Guide to Marriage.
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Every day, throughout the world, family members are having to make the heart breaking and difficult decision to let a loved one die. It's a decision we had to make for our daughter, Teresa Rose, in 1985.

In most locales, if you can't make medical decisions for yourself, the law directs who can. The order of decision making usually is a guardian or someone with power of attorney, then your spouse, then any adult children, and then, your parents.

Husbands and wives have a responsibility to one another, and to their children, to discuss and write down their thoughts and feelings about continuing life-sustaining treatment if they are unable to make decisions for themselves. Discussing life and death issues is not easy, but it is a necessary gift of love to your family. Don't put the responsibility of your health care decisions on your spouse.

What is a Living Will?

A living will allows you to have control over your future health care. It relieves your family from having to make decisions that could burden them for a long time. In a living will, you can also state the reasons for your decisions.

Living Wills are also referred to as advance directives, health care directives, representation agreements, mandates, personal directives, powers of attorney for personal care, and authorizations. If you think you could write your living wills yourselves, or the two of you would like to research advance health directives more, there are sites that offer forms at a reasonable price such as Living Will & Power of Attorney for Health Care Kit ( Buy Direct). The instructional guide includes what a living will is, making or revoking your living will, and more. If you decide to seek the advice of an attorney or a doctor to make sure your living will is legally valid in your locale, this reasonably priced kit will give you an idea of what is included in a living will.

If you change your mind about the decisions you made in your living will, change it. Do make sure to destroy all copies of the first living will.

Although a living will isn't airtight, it can be a great help to your spouse or children if they have to make difficult decisions if you are in a terminal condition. Don't put this off. It's too important.