by Thomas B. Neves (Author)
For nearly 20 years I have worked on the front lines of death and dying. I have saved countless lives and I have pulled the plug on numerous others. In experiencing family members over the years, in most cases they can come to terms with the fact that their spouse or parent is dying. But what they never get over, what they anguish over, is making decisions for their loved one. On too many occasions to count, a teary eyed son or daughter turns to me and expresses how they hope they are doing the right thing. They don't know which medical treatments their loved one would have wanted and now the decision is on them. That anguish becomes harder to deal with than the actual death.It is for them that I toiled over this book and took on the expense of self-publishing it. There is no reason why anyone should ever have to go through the pain and suffering of deciding whether or not to keep a parent or spouse alive. Or deciding whether or not to have critical and sometimes painful procedures performed on them.In this book, author Thomas Neves brings us face to face with these choices. Not to tell us what to choose, but instead to give us the information we need to lay out our own wishes. With intelligent prose and real-world language, we are guided through several anecdotes from his many years in the health care system. These stories outline many situations you may find yourself in and illustrate ways in which you can be better prepared, reduce stress on your family, and be confident in knowing that your wishes will be met, even if you can't speak for yourself.
Author Biography
Thomas Neves was born and raised in New Bedford, MA. Early education in private schools led him to Quinnipiac College where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Respiratory Care. Shortly after graduation, Tom was accepted to Tufts Dental School. After much deliberation, he decided to forego a career in Dental Medicine and stay where he felt he belonged - on the medical front lines saving lives. Tom is the senior therapist on the respiratory ward in a community hospital. Over nearly 20 years, he has taken care of more than a thousand people on life support and helped to console and educate their families. Tom is also responsible for life support orientation and education of new nurses. Tom Neves currently resides in Dartmouth, MA with his wife and two children. When not busy saving lives, he can be seen coaching little league, chaperoning school field trips, and occasionally on the golf course with his dad.