CHEK
Ed Ness has terminal cancer and will die at home under a doctor’s supervision. He spoke about it with CHEK News reporter Dean Stoltz at his Deep Bay home.
Seventy-two-year-old Ed Ness doesn’t look like a man who is about to die, but he is and he’s not only ok with it, he has planned it.
“I’ve never had a fear of death,” Ed Ness said. “I’ve had a very adventurous life. I’ve had so many close calls in my life.”
But the one close call he couldn’t escape was with lung cancer.
First diagnosed in March 2016, he had one lung removed only to find out in March of this year that it had spread and is now terminal.
“And I immediately went down signed up for the DWD, Dying With Dignity.” he said.
He says he and wife Gloria have believed in dying with dignity for some 20 years and now Canadian law allows it, adding for him personally it’s his only option at the end.
“I’m afraid of a slow death if it’s a slow painful death, you know I wouldn’t want that” Ness said. “You walk through some of these geriatric wards and see some of those people who have been in there for five years. No, that’s not my style at all.”
But as well as Ed might look right now, especially when showing off his beloved Harley Davidson, he’s sick and he’s planned his death for Tuesday at 2 p.m., less than two days away.
“You know, today is Sunday, it’s about 2 o’clock” I said to him during the interview. “You have less than two days to live. It’s hard for me to say that. It’s hard to believe. How do you feel? Are you counting down the clock?”
“No I feel real at peace, very much at peace and I try to tell people please don’t feel sorry for me” Ness replied. “The person you want to feel sorry for is my wife. She’s taking this real hard.”
“You know I wake up every morning and think I’ve only got two more mornings that I’ll wake up and feel Ed there beside me.” said his wife Gloria.
But she says she supports him 100% and does not want to see him die any other way.
“Ok Dean come on in and I’ll show you where all this is going to happen,” Ed said as he took me into his living room.
Ed will be in his favourite recliner.
There will be two needles and by about 2:20 he says he’ll be dead.
“We don’t want it to be a sad, morose occasion,” Gloria said, wanting to be positive. “We want it to be happy and reminisce about the good times and we want people to toast Ed goodbye and wish him bon voyage.”
“I’m at peace,” Ed said once more.
His wife along with numerous friends and family will be at his side when he passes on Tuesday.
Dean Stoltz
