Tory's Journey

scottsuzy said on March 20, 2010 at 8:48 PM

Tory's journey has ended. He will be missed by all those he touched. We count ourselves lucky to have known him.

dorismathes said on March 1, 2010 at 8:51 PM

I deeply feel for Tory. I have watched my father,friend,brother, and son all die of cancer. I cared for them as they suffered,and then expired. I am against suicide, but I feel that there are exceptions to all rules. I only wish that my father would have been able to do what Tory wants to do. My father literally starved to death. It was horrible to see him suffer so. Tory you will be in my prayers. Whatever you decide to do should be your decision. I hope that if you die,that you can do so with peace and dignity.

forgiven1 said on February 11, 2010 at 3:00 PM

I AM SORRY AND I TO HAVE A DIEASE THAT WILL TAKE MY LIFE.TILL THIN IM GOING TO FIGHT TO STAY ALIVE FOR MY TWO LITTLE GIRLS. I TO WANT TO BE ABLE TO CHOOSE. TROY MY GOD CLAM YOUR FEAR, MY HE SURROUND YOU WITH LOVED ONES . I HOPE YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT A JUDGMENT ON YOU ,IT JUST IS. YOU ARE NOT ALONE ,MANY PEOPLE ARE THINKING AND PRAYING FOR YOU. SOON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LAY THAT OLD BODY DOWN FOR A NEW ONE....EVEN THOUGH I WALK.....

forgiven1 said on February 11, 2010 at 2:40 PM

IS KING 5 DOING THIS FOR US OR FOR THERE RATINGS ? WILL KING 5 COVER ANY ABUSES THAT MY COME UP IN THE FUTURE? WHERE A DOCTOR SUGGESTES IT WOOD COST MORE TO SAVE YOU THEN END YOUR LIFE OR YOUR BETTER OFF DEAD BECAUSE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE IS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER .

zenmonk said on February 1, 2010 at 6:05 AM

Hi Tory. I am a stage 4 cancer fighter. I choose to fight to the death. I also believe you have the right to participate in your own fate. Thank You for sharing your story. Your different video blogs have helped me in ways youll never know. You Take care now. Much Respect.

toryplaz said on January 15, 2010 at 7:12 AM

Hey Earthrox, I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this alone. Did you say that you are currently hospitalized? If so, would you like me to visit? It is hard to believe that KS is still around. I thought we were able to cure this. Please let me know if there is something I can do to help. Thanks, Tory

earthrox said on January 14, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Tory Thank you for your courage to share your experience. You are very fortunate to have such a great support system! In my life, there is only silence. I don't know you, but we are on the same path. I am but a few steps behind you. HIV POZ for 19 years before having my first awful HIV pill. The nausea is extreme. I now have KS..... a T-Cell count of 3 The only relief from it is when I smoke marijuana. To the poster who recommended that....you are very correct. I am a patient of Harborview Madison Clinic. They refuse to allow me the dignity of a letter to do so legally, even thought the voters of Washington State have mandated this. The attorney General of Washington has ordered them to cease writing letters for medical pot or lose their funding. Where is the dignity in that? Terry: I wish you only peace and happiness in your journey and thank you again for allowing all of us to share that with you

beloved said on January 9, 2010 at 11:09 PM

You sure have been delt a crappy hand! May God be with you.

beloved said on January 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM

You sure have been delt a crappy hand! May God be with you.

beloved said on January 9, 2010 at 11:02 PM

You sure have been delt a crappy hand. May God be with you.

paulashap said on January 7, 2010 at 1:09 AM

Sent you my information on Facebook, a little ditty and my husband said he can do a fund raiser for you...go look on Facebook! You are going to get what you need Tory, I trust you had a pain free day and I made you smile at least once! Paula

paulashap said on January 7, 2010 at 12:41 AM

Yikes, I'm not but I'll figure it out. I'll either do that or send my information onto the station and ask them to forward it onto you. No worries, Paula

toryplaz said on January 6, 2010 at 10:14 AM

Hey Paula, I'm on Face Book. Isn't there a private way to trade info there?

paulashap said on January 5, 2010 at 8:41 PM

Tory, you need only ask...not sure how to make contact, please advise. It's impossible to judge unless you've walked in the other shoes, and glass houses eventually fail. You have my support and support of more than you know, people aren't comfortable with the word "cancer" let alone all the rest of what you are enduring. I'm sorry you have to worry about the feelings of others when you deserve all the support you can get. I know my way around insurance companies too, let me help. I was raised to never be satisfied with "no" - it's a Norwegian thing! Paula

toryplaz said on January 5, 2010 at 10:17 AM

Wow! Thank you Paula. It is so inspiring to read comments like yours where someone actually wants to help rather than sit back and pass judgement. Thanks, Tory

paulashap said on January 4, 2010 at 6:02 PM

Tory: I'm a litigation paralegal with over 20 years of experience and I spent the day with my best friend an hour before she passed away of cancer two years ago. I just saw the latest show wherein you are training your replacement (gulp) and having difficulty with the IRS, etc. - I have the resources and experience to help you and assist your sister-in-law. I woudn't wish this on my worst enemy, this is hitting pretty close to home - I'm SO SO sorry this is happening to you and I would consider it an honor to help you out in any way that I can. Please let me know, Paula

toryplaz said on January 4, 2010 at 9:38 AM

Hello Lindlan, Thank you for your comments. I do have a solid connection with God. We speak every day. When it comes right down to it, whatever choice I make will be God's will. Neither you nor I can get around that. Just for your info, hospice care doesn't even come close to curbing the pain. I don't think anything less than a coma could. Also, how strange that a nurse would encourage sufferring. It was my understanding that those of you in the health care profession would want to stop pain and suffering; not encourage it. Anyway, the decison is already made. Thanks, Tory

lindlan said on January 1, 2010 at 9:55 PM

Tory, you are loved....and I am sorry you have not been loved more in your past. We are all wounded. Please choose hospice and they will help with your pain, but choosing to end your own life is giving up on God. Suffering can be redemptive...this is not the only world....the next world is better...only if we believe and do it God's way. He is always there for you, trust in him and do not fear...even death. Ask for mercy...we all need to. but please don't take your own life....that is a slap in the face to your creator. He is the author of life and death. Hospice will keep your pain under control...and He will take you when he wishes. Turn to him my friend.You will by prayers, and if you need me to help I am a nurse.

kimmykaye said on December 27, 2009 at 10:00 PM

Still reading and totally inspired, Tory. Hard for someone not to care about a truly kind human being. Your story is so much more a "how to live" story then a story about dying. I am sorry for all the hurt you have experienced from the sheer meanness of others over your life. Amd how amazing you are that you have gone through all this and still are a kind, caring, compassionate person! Bless you. As long as you keep posting, I'll keep reading!

toryplaz said on December 24, 2009 at 9:36 AM

Hello, I don't think anyone is reading this anymore, but I do feel I need to comment. I am so surprised at how kind and accepting most of you have been. I realize that with cancer comes a certain amount of sympathy, but when I was growing up if you had AIDS most people thought you got what you deserved. It is really no excuse, but I became positive back in 1986 (4 years out of high school) before I really knew what AIDS was or how it was aquired. So I must say that I am pleasantly surprised at how accepting you all have been. I grew up in a time when all of this was just not acceptable. I have been shunned, ridiculed and even beaten. So on this Christmas Eve day, I want to say thank you to you all who have the ability to look beyond a person's faults and really care about someone else. Thank you and Merry Christmas Tory Plaisance

1dede1 said on December 17, 2009 at 12:19 PM

Dear Tory: Your story has deeply touched me. This is the first time I've written on a blog. I had a grandfather die of ALS (commonly referred to as Lou Gerrig's disease) and my mother died from complications of Type I Diabetes (during the WTO riots). I was a child when my grandfather died and an adult when my mom died. No one can truly know what you are going through. I am thankful that you are sharing your story. Peace.

flowers4u said on December 12, 2009 at 4:38 PM

Dear Tory, Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I truly feel it is your life and you now have the power and control thanks to the Death with Dignity Law. I lost my dad to Parkinsons over 7 yrs ago and my mom to luekemia 3 yrs ago. At that time, there was no such law in our state. If I may share with you a bit of the journey with my mom, my oldest brother had to make the decision to perform a horrible last ditch medical procedure that did fail. I know how very hard it was on him, and the rest of us kids. I so wish my mother and my father would have had the opportunity we all have now in this state. Yes, it is only natural for family and friends to want their loved one to live. But, it is the patient that knows what they desire and can tolerate in regards to pain. You know your own heart and feelings better than anyone else. Follow your heart. I pray for peace and comfort for you. Please know you have touched many lives with your courage and fortitude.

my5fred said on December 8, 2009 at 9:03 PM

Though not usually one to comment on blogs, Tory I feel the need to tell you how much you have truly touched my life. Watching your journey has brought a new light to the matter, and I wish you the best, whatever that may mean to you. Thank you for sharing your story with us

my5fred said on December 8, 2009 at 9:01 PM

Tory you have truly touched me. Though not usually one to write on blogs, after watching your journey I feel the need to tell you how much you have touched my life, and will not be forgotten. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

toryplaz said on December 7, 2009 at 3:13 PM

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Somehow it makes this difficult situation a bit easier.

smokeedna123 said on December 7, 2009 at 5:08 AM

i want to thank you tory and king 5 for going public with your decision to end your life when the suffering gets to much to bear. i lost a niece this summer (32 years old) and my father 3yrs ago to cancer. the states they live in do not have the death with dignity law.hopefully by you going public this will help the change come about in all states,my heart is with you and thank you for taking a public stand for what you believe in.

very29 said on November 25, 2009 at 7:41 PM

Tory, I have utmost repect for your decision to use physician-aid-in-dying (Death with Dignity Act). I also really respect your decision to share your process with the media. My mother was the first person to use Death with Dignity in Washington State. She was terrified people would march around her front door with picket signs and thus, made her choice as quietly as she could! I am amazed and pleased that in 6 months we have evolved to the point where you are able to leave this teachable moment as your legacy. You're amazing--I wish you little pain and much peace. -Lisa-

blaze4407 said on November 22, 2009 at 10:50 PM

To Tory: I am interested in whether you live or die. I want you to live, I hear in your words, that you are resolved, I have heard that before. I know you are tired and it is unimaginable to "know your fate". That is something I wish never to have to face. The last thing I asked my father before he passed, on his last birthday, was what he wished for, he said...."more time"....that was not a choice he had. The choice you DO have is HOW and WHEN. I ask you one thing, as a person being on the other end....PLEASE remember those that love you...listen to them, hear them., LOVE them, they are the ones who will be left behind....without YOU!...And they will miss you.....FOREVER. After 11 years, I still miss them. They WANT to be there for you. You are not alone.

arleneinkent said on November 22, 2009 at 8:41 PM

Thank You! Tory and King TV for presenting a moving and emotional subject with love, and truth and awareness for all of us! I congratulate you, Tory for your courage, strength and spirit! You are an example to all of us...I support your directions, your convictions! Everyone should have the right to not only choice but where and when and with whom you would like to be with. God Bless and the journey is yours!

lmallen said on November 22, 2009 at 5:03 PM

Tory, Hospice for end of life care can be incorporated into your journey. Hospice can help ease your symptoms, pain and nausea and provide support to you and your family through a team approach including nursing, social worker, chaplain and home health aids. Hospice can be a part of death with dignity. Take care Tory

2lat4me said on November 22, 2009 at 3:25 PM

Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Your interest in whether I live or die has really overwhelmed me. Again thank you. Oh and Seabird, I'm covered.

sun2shine said on November 22, 2009 at 12:01 PM

THANK YOU Tory, Tory's family and King 5 for your tremendous COURAGE! Tory, thank you for sharing your story. I pray that you will find comfort and peace that overcomes the pain and suffering. I heartily respect your right to choose and to control your life and death -- however that might be. God Bless.

seabird said on November 22, 2009 at 11:28 AM

Why don't they give him medical marihuana?

blaze4407 said on November 22, 2009 at 11:03 AM

Thank you Tory for your bravery and thank you King5 for having the courage to air this story. I watched both of my parents suffer with terminal cancers. It becomes a "death watch". Interesting that we treat our animals with more dignity at their end of life so that they dont "suffer. I spoon fed my mother, changed her bed daily due to incontinence, rotated her regularly so she didnt get bed sores. This lasted for several months before she even passed. The worst part of it was to watch her and not be able to do anything to make it easier. I watched my mother waste away to 80 pounds, and she was aware virtually the whole time. It came to a point, during this "death watch" where all you can do is wait for the last breath. It is a horrible thing to watch someone you love suffer in pain where all you can do is ensure the morphine patches don't run out. Had she asked me to give her an extra morphine patch, I would have, without a second though. Dont speak without experience!

cathyvster said on November 22, 2009 at 11:00 AM

Thank you for this story. My mother-in-law (88) passed two weeks ago due to her decision that she did not want to live any longer, so she refused food and water for three weeks. Though she had some health issues she was NOT told that she had less than six months to live by her doctor. Her wish was reluctantly honored by her children, and because it was determined by hospice that she was of sound mind supported. This is something I was not aware could happen, and as far as I can tell not connected with the Death with Dignity Law which I support. Her reasons for not wanting to live any longer were that she did not want to be a burden, and felt that she did not have anything to look forward to. I think in her case depression was a factor in her decision and wish she would have been put on antidepressants for a few months and then revisit her choice. I am wondering if others are aware that such decisions are legal? I feel sad and of course guilty that I did not see this coming!

lindat said on November 22, 2009 at 10:29 AM

First of all let me say how brave Tory is to share this experience with us. And thank you King5 for doing it with such dignity. I lost my husband, Lenny, in January of this year to that awful disease, cancer. He was given 6 months and lived just over 5 weeks. We had been fighting cancer for over 2 years, but the surgery, the radiation, all that - we really thought we had it licked. It started as a sore in his mouth. It ended with cancer throughout his body. Lenny's brother, Kenny and wife and their grandson came from New York to be with him that last week. We didn't know it was his last week. We didn't even consider the Death with Dignity option. He died too quickly to even think of that. But it's right. People need to have that option. It's our lives - and more to the point - IT'S OUR DEATH. Lenny was surrounded by family. He said he was tired, I suggested a nap and his last words were "That sounds good." Tory I wish you peace and send my love.

wer3tbulls said on November 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM

I would like to thank Tory and King 5 for sharing Tory's journey!! People need to open their eyes and see everthing from the point of view of the person suffereing! Who are we to say that terminally ill people need to stay alive and suffer till the day their life comes to an end? I guess it is easy to be angry about the "death with dignity act" when you are living a normal, mostly pain-free life, but those people need to live a day in a ternimally ill person's life and feel the daily pain and suffereing they have. Once again thank you Tory and King 5! My thoughts and prayers are with you Tory and I hope everything works out for you with you battle with "death with dignity" and you have that option if you so desire!!!!

jodilw1020 said on November 22, 2009 at 10:01 AM

I absolutely believe that Tory has the right to make this decision for himself. This is not a decision/judgement to be made by people that dont know him, that are not involved in his life, that dont share his experiences and pain. He is dying from a horrible disease and has the right to do so with dignity - we all deserve to live with a certain quality of life. People who are outraged will share their opinion and then go on with their happy go lucky lives and dont give him a second thought. But Tory will still live with his illness every second of every day. Its not our decision to make, it should be left to the person suffering. If you cant step up and offer some help, kind words, or friendship for Tory - keep your opinions to yourself.