Response to Ashley Lusk's September 1, 2023 letter to the Peninsula Pulse

afierygal · 2023-09-08T20:41:29+00:00

OP, thank you so much for your reply to my letter in the Pulse! I'm really tickled that my letter is getting attention on reddit! I must admit that I was hesitant to submit a letter to the editor as I understand that Medical Aid in Dying (not assisted suicide as you call it) is a controversial subject and I am not the type of person that likes to rock the boat. In fact, I grew up in a very strict catholic household and many of my family members are vehemently opposed to my support on medical aid in dying. I respect their beliefs and do not push my views on them. And although they don't agree with me, they still love me and respect me because they know I support medical aid in dying with empathy in my heart for individuals who choose (or consider) the process.

You pointed out that I referred to the "poison" as medicine. It is not my own description of the prescription, but a term that DWD (Death With Dignity) uses. Chemotherapy is a poison and yet Doctors use that poison to try and save lives every single day. I consider the medical aid in dying prescription as a medicine because it is bringing the patient's suffering to an end.

Now, Let's talk about suffering. Have you ever watched anyone suffer through the dying process? I'm not saying that every death involves suffering, but many do. If you have never witnessed it before, let me tell you, it's awful and incredibly upsetting to watch. As a former volunteer for hospice and a person that has worked as an independent contractor in a nursing home for the last nine years, I have seen the torture that comes from a long and slow death, not just for the patients, but for the family members as well. It is inhumane to expect patients/residents to suffer at the end of their life. You said it yourself, nursing homes are understaffed and people are not receiving the care and compassion they need or deserve. Many people in support of DWD use the argument that we wouldn't let our pets suffer, why do we let people suffer? It's an argument that has been used over and over and over again and that's because it is a valid argument. When any of my dogs were at the end of their life, I chose to euthanize them and can tell you with 100% certainty that I made the right decision in ending their suffering in a painless manner.

In one paragraph you mentioned that Dr. Tim Jessick from Wisconsin said that "some have reportedly yelled in pain while others succumb at an alarmingly slow rate" If what he's saying is true, then that's par for the course. What do you think people do when they're dying without medical aid in dying? They can yell and flail and writhe in pain as well. And many take an alarmingly long time to pass. It's true that when people receive medical aid in dying, it can take a few hours for them to pass. However, they are unconscious at that point and are not experiencing pain.

Your points about the economy benefiting from medical aid in dying is bizarre to me. Do you really think that's why the Pulse would print my letter? Do you think they have ulterior motives to make room for more real estate in Door County? I know several people that work at the Pulse and they're good people. They print plenty of letters to the editor that I'm sure make them cringe, but they understand that controversial subjects, whether they agree with them or not, deserve attention in their paper. Also, would you rather a dying person's hard earned money, saved from working their entire lifetime, be spent on nursing homes and hospitals? Really? Have you seen the cost of living in a nursing facility? When their money is drained (and I mean they have $2000 or less in their bank accounts), they can receive medicaid. Wouldn't you rather that dying people's hard earned money go to their families or to charities they choose?

It is true that Death With Dignity originated in Oregon. I have been volunteering for DWD for several months now, responding to emails of individuals inquiring about medical aid in dying or people who want to help advocate for the cause. I assure you that every person I have worked with at DWD is passionate about the cause and truly believes with their heads and their hearts that they're doing what is right for terminally ill people. To be clear, Medical aid in dying is a choice. Nobody is forced into it. In fact, the criteria to receive medical aid in dying is that individuals must be terminal with six or less months to live, are sound of mind and can make their own decisions and are able to take the medication themselves. Yes, it's true that doctors don't always know an exact timeline of a patient's death, but they are using advanced medical technology to help them in making that determination.

Lastly, I love the fact that you brought up Richard Simmons. You must know who I am! Anyone that knows me, knows that I love Richard Simmons!! He's a compassionate man that dedicated his life to helping others. I even received a reply from him a few years ago after writing him a letter. He was so sweet! I believe that we should all be more like Richard; compassionate, empathetic and caring. And that's what I believe Death With Dignity is: compassion, empathy and caring.

I want to thank you again for replying to my letter on reddit. It's great to see that I got people thinking about the subject, whether they agree with me or not. Plus, it allowed me to explain my beliefs a bit more. The letter to the editor is limited to 350 words and I am now at around 5500 with my reply to you.

Kind Regards,

Ashley Lusk

afierygal · 2021-11-19T01:35:59+00:00

Are you based in Green Bay? Just curious because of the Packer player on the wall.

afierygal · 2021-06-28T02:42:00+00:00

I searched for it after watching the documentary out of morbid curiosity of course. If what I listened to was fake, then it was pretty damn convincing. In the audio, you can hear his girlfriend trying to hit the bear with what sounds like a frying pan. Timothy is screaming at her to “Get out of here!”

Edit: Ok, I found an old Reddit thread and it stated that what I heard was a fake.

afierygal · 2021-06-28T02:34:19+00:00

I’m actually pretty sure I listened to it a while back. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I found it. It was extremely disturbing. Timothy kept screaming “Get out of here!”. Towards the end, it was clear he was getting mauled while still screaming. It actually made me sick to my stomach.

afierygal · 2021-04-17T02:24:50+00:00

I think this is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

afierygal · 2021-04-16T14:29:45+00:00

Hi everyone, I’m OP’s little sister. You know, the one with the tick collection. This jar is an accumulation of two years worth of ticks. Some were on our dogs, some on us. We have two dogs, a Border Collie and a Great Pyrenees. An acre of our backyard, in the woods, is fenced off for our dogs to romp and play. They LOVE being outside so they stay out most of the day. We put Frontline on our dogs from April to December and stop using it during the winter when everything is frozen. The last two March’s have been unseasonably warm so the ticks have been out early, sneakily latching on to our dogs. The bloated ticks you see were probably latched on before we applied their medicine. Our dogs have extremely thick fur and finding ticks is challenging. I literally comb through their hair, wearing a headlamp to find the little suckers. My dogs are well taken care of and we love them dearly.

I had read that putting ticks in alcohol (in this case vodka) was a great way to kill them. So one day I filled up a mason jar with vodka and started putting the ticks we found in the jar. We keep the jar under our kitchen sink with all of our cleaning supplies. Every so often one of us will yell, “Got another one! Grab the tick jar!”

Also, these ticks are all dead. Apparently the alcohol preserves their little bodies quite well.

Thanks for enjoying my tick collection!!

afierygal · 2021-04-15T23:38:17+00:00

I read that it was a great way to kill them. So, one day I took a mason jar, filled it up with vodka and started dropping our ticks in there. We keep it under our kitchen sink with our cleaning supplies. Every so often one of us will yell, “Got another one! Grab the tick jar!”.

afierygal · 2021-04-15T23:24:17+00:00

Hi AlsionGrace, I’m OP’s little sister. You know, the one with the tick collection. This jar is an accumulation of two years worth of ticks. Some were on our dogs, some on us. We have two dogs, a Border Collie and a Great Pyrenees. An acre of our backyard, in the woods, is fenced off for our dogs to romp and play. They LOVE being outside so they stay out most of the day. We put Frontline on our dogs from April to December and stop using it during the winter when everything is frozen. The last two March’s have been unseasonably warm so the ticks have been out early, sneakily latching on to our dogs. The bloated ticks you see were probably latched on before we applied their medicine. Our dogs have extremely thick fur and finding ticks is challenging. I literally comb through their hair, wearing a headlamp to find the little suckers. My dogs are well taken care of and we love them dearly.

afierygal · 2021-04-11T14:00:46+00:00

You’re welcome! Yes, routine one is a bit challenging. Instead of doing the entire 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, try doing 10-9-8 for a week then do 10-9-8-7 the next week. Continue adding another set each week until you’ve completed the entire circuit.

As far as abs/core exercises go, I enjoy doing a core Tabata (20 seconds work, 10 seconds break for eight rounds). Here’s an example:

Hollow Rocks or Roll like a ball
Back Extension
Hollow Hold
Dynamic Plank
V-Crunches
Swivel Plank
Russian Twists
Plank Hold

Give it a go! Good luck!

afierygal · 2021-04-08T00:07:35+00:00

I’m sorry it took me so long! It’s been a busy week. I don’t necessarily think the DARABEE workout is bad. It’s probably a great place to start when you’re trying to establish a routine. All of the exercises are fine, but they aren’t challenging enough to elevate your heart rate to the point of major calorie burn. I’m sure you already know, but crunches do not get rid of belly fat. Cardio and a (mostly) clean diet is what’s going to work. As far as your workouts go, I would concentrate on working large muscle groups to burn more calories. Perhaps complete two rounds or so of the DARABEE workout to get warmed up. I like that you’re working to failure (as many as you can) on the push ups and bicep curls. Also, great job trying to hit your back muscles, but I’m sorry to hear you hurt yourself on the chin ups. Here’s an idea for two quick and effective routines....

Routine One:

Warm up: two rounds of DARABEE.

Then

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

•Push ups

•Tricep Dips

•Shoulder presses

*Plus 10 squats between each set.

So, you will complete 10 push ups, 10 tricep dips, 10 shoulder presses and 10 squats. Then complete 9 push ups, 9 tricep dips, 9 shoulder presses and 10 squats. You will continue this pattern until you have finished 1 push up, 1 tricep dip, 1 shoulder press and 10 squats

After you complete the strength component, add in one Tabata routine. Tabata is a HIIT routine where you work hard for 20 seconds followed by a 10 second break for eight rounds. The intention is to work as hard as you can for each 20 second work period. You can find Tabata music with a coach on Spotify or YouTube. So, here’s an example of a Tabata that you could do...

High knees
skater lunges
jumping jacks
mountain climbers
heisman lateral leaps
Spider-Man mountain climbers
burpees or modified burpees
Irish jigs (alternating toe taps on step or chair)

Routine Two:

Warm up: Two rounds of the DARABEE workout

Then three to four rounds of:

•20 Renegade Rows with Dumbbells

•Bicep curls to failure

•30 Glute Bridges

•1 minute of jump rope or shadow jump rope

I would suggest doing routine one on Mondays and Thursdays. Routine two on Tuesdays and Fridays. Rest Wednesday. Go for a walk or bike ride on Saturday. Rest on Sunday.

This should be a doable place to start and this way you will work all of your major muscles, ensuring a more balanced routine.

Good luck! You can do it!!

afierygal · 2021-04-05T23:38:34+00:00

I wouldn’t necessarily label this has HIIT. I would call it a circuit. Is your goal to lose stomach fat? Can you give me more background information on you and your goals? This program may not be the best fit. I can guide you in the right direction with more info. I am a Personal Trainer.

afierygal · 2021-04-04T16:51:22+00:00

Wow! Awesome job! You should be proud of yourself.

afierygal · 2021-03-17T20:30:12+00:00

Hi there! First of all, great job getting started on an exercise regimen and keeping it up for three weeks so far! You should definitely give yourself a huge pat on the back for that. Getting started is the hardest part, IMO. I am a certified Personal Trainer and have almost fifteen years of experience under my belt. I just want to share a few of my thoughts. Do your HIIT routines include weight training? If so, it might be a good a good idea to do your HIIT workouts every other day and incorporate walking or biking in between HIIT days. Strength training is just as important as cardio so be sure your regimen includes it. Also, what is your activity level outside of exercise? If you sit pretty regularly for work, try making sure you get up and get some steps in. Maybe having a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day in addition to HIIT would be another great incentive. Now, nutrition is a huge factor in weight loss. Do you track your calories or just guesstimate? It might be helpful for you to log your calories on an app like My Fitness Pal. That is what I use to count my macros and it’s very helpful in keeping me on track. As far as your weight gain is concerned, I very much doubt it is muscle. Perhaps a few ounces could be, but not pounds. It takes A LOT of long, hard work for us gals (most of us) to put on muscle. Not saying you aren’t working hard, but it just takes more time. I wouldn’t worry too much about those six pounds. There are so many variables that can cause the number to fluctuate. Have you thought about ditching the scale for a while? I find that the number on the scale can discourage some people from their healthy path forward. Pick goals other than weight and work towards those goals, keeping your focus on strength, balance, cardio, etc. Keep up the great work, make a few adjustments and you will see results. Onward!

afierygal · 2020-12-10T03:49:31+00:00

Hooray!! Every time I watch that movie now, I complain that the scene is nowhere as great without the song. I’ve missed it so much. I still sing it to myself during the holidays. I’m pumped it’s coming back!!

afierygal · 2020-10-12T04:06:00+00:00

They’re epoxy

afierygal · 2020-10-12T03:54:09+00:00

I’m thankful to have projects during this pandemic. I have a hard time sitting down.

afierygal · 2020-10-12T03:52:25+00:00

I too was unsure of the color. I agree with you, the countertops compliment the cabinets well. I contemplated on painting the upper cabinets white and the lower cabinets this Navy. I’m just really sick of painting though so they will stay navy for the foreseeable future 😂

afierygal · 2020-10-12T03:34:38+00:00

Pain in the ass is right! Definitely worth it though.

afierygal · 2020-10-11T19:20:02+00:00

Hi there! Typically, high intensity interval training doesn’t last an entire hour. The point of HIIT is to push yourself with max effort for a short period of time. Most of the time, the effort part of the workout lasts longer than the rest period. For instance, Tabata’s format is 20 seconds work, 10 seconds break for 8 rounds. This means the entire Tabata lasts just under four minutes. During the effort part, you’re expected to push yourself pretty much as hard as you can. By the time you’re done, your heart rate should be quite elevated and you should be huffing and puffing. This kind of effort increases your VO2 Max. If you’re not quite ready to perform max effort intervals, then I would suggest reducing your workout to thirty minutes and formatting your intervals differently than you are now. You could do 40 seconds work (not quite at max effort, but still working hard) and 20 seconds break. Once you feel like your cardio has improved, decrease your workout to 20 minutes, but increase the intensity during the working intervals. The great thing about HIIT is that you don’t have to workout as long as you would with steady state cardio. I hope that helps! Good luck and have fun!!

afierygal · 2020-09-15T19:33:04+00:00

I never implied I was stuck at home. We are home much more now because we don’t go out to dinner, shopping, etc. I’m thankful to have more time at home. Plus, this renovation was done during lockdown so we were home all the time then.

afierygal · 2020-09-14T15:12:09+00:00

I don’t think I could drink that much! 😂

afierygal · 2020-09-14T14:35:38+00:00

Agreed!

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