Romeo and Juliet

I heard on the radio, AND read in the news today that something tragic (and yet somehow romantic) happened at my own community hospital.

An elderly couple ended their 65-year marriage to each other. The wife, Helen Mason, 87, of Holiday City South, suffered from diabetes and several other ailments. When she had a stroke, it made everything worse. She became bedridden in Community Medical Center. Neighbors said her husband, Charles, 88, went to visit her there every morning and wouldn't come home again until late in the afternoon. Finally, Mr. Mason decided to end his and his wife's suffering. Early yesterday morning, he went up to her room in the hospital, shut the door, and stare at his wife. Her whole right side was paralyzed, she had a broken leg, and her other previous conditions had worsened. He had seen about all he could take of her suffering before he finally reached into his pocket, pulled out a gun, and shot her dead. Shortly after he shot her, he turned the gun on himself and ended his life.

Some people might see this as a ghastly act of euthanization. I see it as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story. This couple had been married for 65 years. That means that they had been married since 1943! To be with the same person for so long, it's hard to imagine the person you married in such a sad, debilitative state. I know that on several occasions, I had told my wife that if she died before me, I would die there with her. Perhaps Mr. Mason had said something similar to his wife early on in THEIR marriage. When you know you met the right person, you just know. If you can picture yourself getting old with this person, having kids and growing gray and dying with this person, that should be the dead giveaway right there.

This man did not want to see his wife suffer anymore. Quite frankly, I wouldn't either. I wouldn't outright shoot her, but if she was in neverending pain, constantly suffering with no hope of recovery or even relief from her pain, I could see why he did it.

He loved her, and to see her suffering so badly, it must have broken him inside. I hope that one day, if faced with a similar dilemma, my wife would do that for me. I don't want to live without living, and I doubt she did either. He loved her. He didn't want to see her suffering anymore.

Then again, perhaps he saw it as his chance to finally get rid of the old bat.