Local terminally-ill doctor shows support for End of Life Option Act

UPDATE 6:02 p.m.

Dr. Wayne McKinny fought for many children around the world for more than three decades.

He said some patients remain fresh on his mind.

“Working with the orphans and trying to get them placed,” McKinny said. “I always said that I was the biggest stud in Saigon, because 15 minutes after meeting me, every woman that did had a child.”

Now, the 82-year-old retired pediatrician said he’s fighting a prognosis of his own, after being diagnosed with a terminal form of bladder cancer.

“I am not having any pain at this time,” McKinny said. “But, I am steadily losing my strength and stamina, where it is starting to become really challenging.”

But McKinny said for the last month he’s been looking into a possible prescription, after California’s law allowing terminally-ill patients to seek life-ending drugs went into effect.

However, he said not everyone is on board, with local hospitals prohibiting their doctors from prescribing aid-in-dying medication.

“They have a right to decide for themselves,” McKinny said. “But if a doctor is willing, and a patient wants that option, how can you dare forbid it? It just seems so immoral, and I also consider it cruel and unusual punishment.”

But McKinny said he hopes to see a change, while he and others continue to fight and finish strong.

“I have always been a fighter, and I’ve always fought for others,” McKinny said. “So, I cannot change now. I want it for myself, and I want it for the few others who also would like to choose that.”

To read a statement from Eisenhower Medical Center, read the earlier version of this story below.

KESQ and CBS Local 2 also reached out to officials at both Desert Regional Medical Center and JFK Memorial Hospital, but they were unavailable for comment.

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ORIGINAL STORY: 2:27 p.m.

Dr. Wayne McKinny, a Desert Hot Springs resident and former pediatrician working all across the world, is facing his final days as he was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer a year ago. He supports California’s new law, the End of Life Option Act, but he says our local hospitals aren’t doing the same.

Poll: Do you think terminally-ill patients should have the choice to end their life with medication?

The End of Life Option Act provides terminally-ill patients with medication to help ease their pain and suffering during their last days.

Some doctors are opposed to the law, saying it’s a form of suicide. But Dr. McKinny says it’s not suicide, it’s death with dignity.

KESQ and CBS Local 2’s Zak Dahlheimer has the story behind why Coachella Valley hospitals aren’t necessarily on-board with the new law. Watch the report on KESQ News Channel 3 at 5 p.m. and on CBS Local 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Here is the statement we received from Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage:

Eisenhower Medical Center has carefully reviewed and discussed the requirements of the End of Life Option Act and has elected the option under the Act not to participate in the process. Eisenhower’s mission recognizes that death is a natural stage of the life journey and Eisenhower will not intentionally hasten it. Eisenhower respects the rights of patients and their loved ones to make decisions regarding end-of-life care and supports patient self-determination.

Eisenhower will provide information about the End of Life Option Act upon request and supports each patient’s right to make decisions about care, including the choice to accept or reject treatments that might be available. Eisenhower is committed to providing appropriate, relationship-based, caring support for all dying persons by helping patients make informed decisions about end-of-life care and providing a range of available options, including palliative care, hospice care, comfort care and pain management.