Recently, an article "The Death of My Wife" has attracted the attention of many netizens in Canada.
In this long article, the author of the article recorded in detail the process of his wife's death in Canada from feeling unwell, seeking medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment, and being recommended for "euthanasia" to die less than two months.
Many netizens started a discussion about it.
示意图（Global News）
According to the author's account, his wife, Ms. Zhang (hereinafter referred to as M), had been in the United States for many years, graduated from Tulane University with straight A's, and then worked in the United States on an H1B work permit, while the author stayed in Shanghai to work and take care of her two daughters. Later, M returned to China for a reunion, found out that she was pregnant with three children, the family immigrated to Canada around 2019, the family of five lived in Manitobana, M studied for a master's degree in Canada and worked part-time, and the author was mainly responsible for taking care of three children.
Diagnosed with cancer for 13 days to perform "euthanasia"
In August 2023, M had a medical examination in preparation for jaw surgery, and the report was normal.
On September 20, M saw a doctor at a gynaecological clinic and did some tests.
At the end of September, when I had a follow-up visit for jaw surgery, I found no abnormalities.
Around October, M began to feel unwell, did not seek medical attention, and took some Chinese medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs brought from China.
In early November, the gynaecology clinic called and said, "There is an abnormality in the blood test results of the cancer screening object, and it needs to be retested." ”
On 9 November, M decided to go to the emergency room. Inform the HSC (Health Science Centre) in Winnipeg that you have medical conditions, and pick you up the next day.
On November 10, due to the continued discomfort and the car had not yet arrived, M went to the HSC and entered the isolation ward, "The doctor said that further tests were needed to confirm the diagnosis, and the most likely possibility was tuberculosis, fungal infection, or cancer, but added that cancer was unlikely." ”
On Nov. 13, doctors said 70 percent tuberculosis and 30 percent cancer. It won't be until four days later that the results will be available.
示意图（Global News）
On November 17, M was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung. The doctor informed that according to the doctor's instructions, M began to do genetic testing to determine which targeted drug to take.
"Although the results of the genetic test have not come out, and it will even take a long time, the doctor decided to take a gamble and choose a targeted drug that targets a specific gene first," the article read. "The doctor's original words are: take it for two weeks to see the effect, if the targeted drug is wrong, then according to the results of sequencing, that is, if the test result is negative for EGFR, it means that the targeted drug is changed. ”
In the following days, M's condition deteriorated dramatically, and he also had heart problems, and he underwent pericardial effusion puncture surgery, but his condition recurred, and he had several emergencies.
On November 28, the doctor came and announced that he was advised to abandon treatment, accept hospice care, and leave with dignity.
"The doctor said that the results of the genetic test had just come out because the genetic test was for the EGFR-20 gene, not the EGFR gene that had been bet on," the article reads. ”
The doctor didn't seem to have the patience to talk to me much, mainly to talk to my wife alone, and to ask if she, who was extremely weak, would be willing to give up all treatment and accept hospice care instead. ”
She nodded in acceptance.
"I argued with the doctor, shouting no, but she reprimanded me with weak strength and did not let me interfere with the doctor. The doctor said, 'I heard M's decision, and it was clear,' and then he went to the nurse without looking back, and before he left, he told me that there would be a Manitoba cancer specialist in this area tomorrow to explain it to me personally. ”
"In less than a few minutes. The nurse threw all the medicine on my wife's arm, and from then on, she remained in a 'semi-vegetative' state until she left this world. ”
On November 29, the author inquired that some drugs may still have therapeutic effects, "In short, this disease is not completely a disease that cannot be cured, and there is hope." ”
It was 4:46 a.m. The author describes that he told his wife that he had found the medicine, and that her wife had tried her best to get a response. A cancer specialist came in the morning, and at the author's insistence, the doctor said that he would check his private channels when he went back to see if he could get it, and tell the results tomorrow.
But around four o'clock in the afternoon, the doctor of "hospice" still came.
On Nov. 30, the author said that despite repeated requests for more treatment from doctors, M died in the Comfort Ward at the age of 37, leaving behind two daughters, aged 10 and 8, and a 3-year-old son.
The article has sparked a variety of discussions among netizens, including a discussion of the Canadian healthcare system and a controversy over whether it is necessary to appoint an executor and make a will before death.
示意图（Global News）
Canada's healthcare system has sparked discussion
The article writes about the pain points that the author feels unable to let go of - "two days and one minute":
According to the article, M was diagnosed with cancer on Friday, November 17, and there was no treatment for two days on the 18th and 19th. His condition deteriorated sharply on the 20th. "These two days are so critical for critically ill patients, and even more so for my wife, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, without delay. ”
Before the diagnosis, M went to the emergency department on the 9th and was diagnosed 8 days later. "From the time my wife was bouncing out of the house eight days ago to being bedridden eight days later without any treatment, I went through several more in between. ”
The author also mentions a problem:
Source: WeChat article
After the release of this article, many netizens complained about Canada's free medical system on social media:
Source: Little Red Book
There are also some who disagree:
Source: Little Red Book
This article also sparked some discussion and questioning, and this website contacted the author of the article, and he only replied that "those who are clear will clear themselves".
This website also contacted the HSC hospital, but has not received a reply before press time.
What do Canadian healthcare workers think?
Regarding the author's posting experience, Dr. @Lingger, a Toronto-based physician who has interned at Palliative Care and Oncology Rotation, explained on social media some of the common practices of Canadian doctors when assessing the risks of treating cases, and expressed his opinion on the author's confusion about the doctor's abandonment of treatment:
Source: Xiaohongshu @ Linggege
"In the article, the author wonders why doctors should 'give up on treatment'. If there really is a viable treatment, I am sure her attending doctor will do his best. But his wife was already very weak, all the indicators were abnormal, the side effects of targeted drugs were large, her physical condition at that time was unbearable, and blind medication was likely to have the opposite effect. I'm sure these are also what her doctor considered. The husband's belief in targeted drugs, although understandable, ignores the cruel reality of his wife's condition. ”
For several factors mentioned by the author that he can't let go, @铃格格也表示, "From a doctor's point of view, the heroine's EGFR20 lung cancer is menacing and deteriorating rapidly, from the beginning of symptoms to diagnosis to death in just one month. In this case, even if the diagnosis is confirmed a few days earlier or the corresponding targeted drug mentioned in the article is used, the results will not change to a large extent. In addition, it is necessary to diagnose the diagnosis before treatment, and it is not possible to use drugs indiscriminately. ”
Source: Little Red Book
Views were also expressed regarding the hospice in this case:
Source: Xiaohongshu @Fang