Celebrating Art's Life

Dear family and friends of our beloved Art,

On December 2, 2007 at 2:45 p.m. Art went to be with Jesus. A Scripture Art often thought of these last few months was in Hebrews 11:10 where it says, “He was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.” Art did not look at his passing from this earth as death but rather a transition to that beautiful city to be forever with our Great and awesome God, the One who gave him life!

Art loved you all so very much. He showed his love of God by serving others, and loving his family. Art loved life and saw many, many, many good days.

Please join us in celebrating Art’s life at his memorial service Friday December 7, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. The service will be at New Heights Church. Click here for directions or you can call the church at 360-694-4985.

If you would like to show your appreciation for Art’s life and encourage the family you could make a donation instead of sending flowers to one of the following organizations:

Open House Ministries
PO BOX 242
Vancouver, WA 98666

Click here for their contact page.

Please enclose a note to let them know that it is in memory of Art Young.

OHSU Foundation
1121 SW Salmon Street Suite 200
Portland OR 97205-2021

Click here for donation instructions and their phone number.

Please use this form and indicate to have the funds applied to the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic in memory of Art Young. OHSU will send me notification of your donation should you choose to include my address (please leave a comment if you need my address). I would so love to thank you.

With all of our fondest regards,
Barbara, Marcus, Tracy, Benjamin, Terra, Brett, Janice, and Elijah

Grappling with My End of Life Decision

Over the years many people have asked me to formulate my opinions on how my experiences have changed. It’s very ironic that my first paper I wrote was on grappling with end of life decision making. In fact, I had just finished this paper within 15 minutes of the bad news. Below is that paper.

GRAPPLING WITH MY END OF LIFE DECISION

INTRO
Several people wanted to hear more about how my journey has impacted me. I realize that this won’t be for every one. I also realize that the list of names this goes to is very diverse. You are in quite different places spiritually, life station, personal situation and with differing interest levels. Please feel free to discard this. I don’t have a lot of ego in it. It is more or less an outline designed to give scriptural clarification and perspective. If you come across a statement where you have wisdom for me, I’ll gladly take it. If I can help unlock more for you, let me know. No promises. I’m certainly not the Bible Answer Man.

STARTING OUT
For a long time I had deliberated on what I have believed about the proper time and circumstances surrounding the idea of when are we sustaining life versus prolonging death; when do I say enough is enough if the decision needs to be made. In my experience most people approached the decision from the same direction as I once did. We try to make up rules for possible situations and control decisions as they come up.

This is a real screwed up way to make this decision. We take control away from God who has ultimate wisdom and place that responsibility on ourselves. My thinking needed a fresh paradigm shift. I first decided that God leads by perfect love, grace and principles, not rules, laws or circumstances. Getting the correct perspective is so important when embarking on making an important decision or formulating life directions.

GETTING A CORRECT BASIS
God and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ are key and central to all life decisions. This is where it must begin. There are so many facts and truths to study. I will list some things pertinent to my decision making process on this subject. So much could be said but it will be up to you and your journey to fill in more details. Each truth needs to be studied deeply. Because of my long and arduous journey with illness I now have a much different perspective than I had a few years ago.

TRUTHS THAT ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO LIFE

1. God loves each of us perfectly and ultimately. His love and presence are forever ours when we trust Him.


2. God is the giver and sustainer of life. He loves life, both physical and spiritual.


3. God leads my life by love and relationship; love from Him just for me and love from Him to give in my relationships with others.


4. God is the final and supreme source of wisdom and truth that is reflected in His perfect plan for each of our lives. He makes no mistakes.


5. Our success is not measured by all we can do or by all that we have acquired. (The one with the most toys will still die and he won’t take any of them with him). It is whose lives we impact in a positive way.


6. God’s strength is perfected through my weakness. He gives me the strength to say “I can do this” with each new day.


7. God has created us individual and unique beings.

IN CONCLUSION
It is very strange that we cling to life here on earth when reality is that we will be going to a far greater place. Why then do we so fiercely resist the end of life process and fear death? Just as we are uniquely created, so will each of our end of life journeys be unique. Some of us will die quickly while others of us may linger in a long process. Some will have opportunities to question end of life options and others will have none. The most important question I have asked myself and will continue to ask myself in regards to this issue is, "God are you finished with me yet here on earth? Are you telling me that it is time to stop attempts at sustaining life and allow life’s natural progression? Is this the time I am to cross over the thin line of sustaining life or prolonging death?”

December 1, 2007

This is Benjamin Young writing on behalf of Art. I am not the superb word crafter that my father is, so I apologize before hand. He really wanted to type this to you himself, but it is not a possibility. So here is the latest.

Art went to the ER at Southwest Washington Medical Center Friday November 30th. He was having trouble with low energy and shortness of breath. They took a new CAT scan of his chest to see how the masses in his lungs were affecting his breathing. The ER doctor said that as far as he could tell there was nothing new in the scan, but because Art did not have the energy to get up and walk around they admitted him to the Kaiser Sunnyside hospital in room 111.

The doctors at Sunnyside reviewed the new CAT scan against the scan done before the biopsy. The main mass in his lungs was around .75 inches in the first scan, while the scan taken a few days later showed the main mass was around 3.5 inches as well as several new masses on the other lung. This confirms that it is fast growing sarcoma and he does not have more than a few days to live.

He is currently on the highest subsidy of oxygen available. He was in a lot of pain although now the medications seem to be keeping the pain under good control. He is lucid when he is awake, but the pain medicine seems to keep him between sleeping and waking a lot.

If any of you would like to visit, please call either me at 360-609-5179 or Marcus at 360-607-4714 before hand. We have a very small room and are trying to schedule out the different visitors so they are not all coming at the same time. Please refrain from asking Barbara questions about Art’s health as it is difficult for her to continue repeating the information. My brother and I will try to answer calls as best as we can.

I want to thank you all for the support and prayers that you have provided for Art as well as our family through this difficult time. If you could continue praying for us we would really appreciate it. It will be difficult for our family to say goodbye to such an amazing man. He is a great husband, father, and friend.

It is about now that my father would start saying,

You should cheer up, this goodbye is not forever. You are all just jealous because I am going to get to heaven before you. But don’t worry; someday I will get to see you again.
~ Art Young

Written by: Ben Young