Physician assisted suicide is now legal in some states, and may or not be soon in California. For those discouraged by such laws, whether they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or not, and for those looking for hope and comfort, Nick Magnotti’s story may be an inspiration.
This courageous young man passed away nearly a year and a half ago, on January 7, 2014. He was 27. When he was 24, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Mucinous Adenocarcinoma. It started in his appendix, but then spread to his abdominal cavity.
While Nick was in brief remission, he and his wife, Alyssa, found out they were expecting a baby. The cancer came back though, and Nick began treatment when Alyssa was just 15 weeks pregnant. When their daughter born on March 26, 2013, Nick and Alyssa named her Austyn.
Despite such a difficult diagnosis though, Nick continued to live his life with a positive outlook. He and Alyssa recorded a video, so that Austyn would grow up knowing how much her daddy loved her.
The video of Nick, about six minutes long, does not mention or address physician assisted suicide in any way. Nevertheless, it ought to be an inspiration and might serve as a comforting message for those considering such a way out from life.
Nick and Alyssa are Christians, and in addition to mentioning God in a positive light, and speaking of the time he has been given, Nick repeats several times how blessed he feels, particularly when it comes to the time spent with his daughter. At about two and a half minutes into the video, Nick talks about how he’s not scared. He also seems to be grateful for what time he does have left to plan:
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…I know why I don’t feel scared. I know it’s because God has given me this peace and this blessing, that everyone’s dying. This morning there’s people who get up and go to work and they’re not gonna come home tonight. And their families had no idea that was going to happen. They didn’t get a chance to plan for it, they didn’t get a chance to, you know, set aside videos, they didn’t get a chance to do birthday cards. Their lives end and they move on to, hopefully to heaven, and their families’ lives continue.
Even those not facing a terminal illness may find comfort in Nick’s words:
So I live every day with the appreciation for today, and not concerned with what tomorrow will bring. We could have a meteor hit the world and everyone would die, and my cancer would be pointless, because it wouldn’t been what took me out. And I was so concerned and focused on that, and then that happens. To me that’s a waste.
There is a plan and an amount of time that each person is meant to live. Some of us are meant to live for a shorter time than others, for whatever reason. In that case especially, life may be downright terrifying, but we should not give up and give in. We are not meant to cut that time off ourselves, but rather to enjoy and live life to the fullest with the time that we do have. Nick talks about being able to take his daughter to the aquarium, for instance. In that case, Nick’s story, and how he lived his life, ought to be an inspiration to all.
