When You are in Coma...

Man walking towards sunset. (I couldn't resist some drama)

Yes, when you are in coma, what would you do? Presumably, nothing. You are unconscious, or at least you have lost control of all sensory body functions, even if your brain retains some vitality. Any way, if your doctors are not able to elicit any response from you, it clearly means that you are dead, may be temporarily. So, coma is temporary death - I know, it is oxymoron, but there is nothing else that precisely convey the same idea.

So, while you are in an unconscious bliss, your dear ones are waiting anxiously at the door, hopeful of getting some good news from the inside to which they are denied entry. Coma may last for many days and even many weeks. The emotional toll the interminable wait exacts from them is beyond imagination, to say nothing of the financial burden. That is, of course, if they love you! But you have to accept it a priori, otherwise the whole facade will crumble down to earth. Naturally you want to relieve their misery, but being in coma, you cannot guide them. What is the viable option here?

Giving instructions to them in advance is the alternative which I am doing here. Verbal instructions are not enough in such critical times, because there may be some distant relations who would want to play the role of 'caring guy' and may dissuade the near ones from putting an end to it all. Hence, the following lines are clear cut, written instructions to my nearest ones.

1. If I am in coma with no favourable prospect of recovery, the life support systems may be switched off after waiting for 48 hours. I don't want to prolong the agony, myself as well as my relatives!

2. All organs which can be donated may be done likewise. The body should be donated to a teaching hospital/medical college.

3. No religious ceremony shall be performed for me, immediately after death or at any time in future.

4. An amount not exceeding 5% of my savings may be entrusted to the local high school in which I studied and the interest accrued on it may be awarded to hard working students who performed exceedingly well in Mathematics, Physics and History.

These are my instructions and I would like to 'see' it followed to the letter.