After 30 years paying his dues Rex cannot come home to die
Monday 27th June 2011, 11:30AM BST.
A LOCAL man who wants to die in Guernsey will have to do so abroad because he no longer qualifies for round-the-clock care here.
Rex Towers, 54, pictured, has lived in Thailand for six years but, after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in September, he planned to return to the island to be close to his parents and three brothers.
His condition has deteriorated so fast that he is now paralysed from the neck down, struggles to talk, and has breathing problems. He needs 24/7 assistance from his two carers.
‘I wanted to come back to be with family. I can’t as no health service to help me as I’m classed non-resident now and my family couldn’t cope,’ said the entrepreneur and former Aurigny, Guernsey Airlines, and Airport Services employee, who can only communicate using a computer mouse and an onscreen keyboard.
Mr Towers estimates that he has six months to live, but if he returned, he would have to wait one year before he could receive the medical care he needs.
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Its a terrible disease im sorry to hear Guernsey will not help.
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You can read MY life story here
http://thisismylife.46.forumer.com
Rex
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This story is so heartbreaking, I am ashamed to call myself a Guern when we treat our islanders like this!! This man has paid his social insurance contributions and has a right to be with his family. My heartfelt thoughts to the family of Rex. Maybe it’s time that people who pay their contributions have a say in what happens to their money.
Maybe the states could put themselves in the shoes of Rex and his family and have a ounce of compassion and put funds into something worthwhile for once.
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disgusted – mr towers, i assume, chose to go and live abroad for 6 years? did he pay social insurance and tax to guernsey and / or thailand in that time? i do not know. but you cannot opt out of one place for 6 years and suddenly expect to return and instantly reap the welfare and health benefits of that place, unless the rules are satisfied. otherwise, hundreds would exploit the benefit and health systems to gain the cheapest deal. you need lines in sand. like mr sirett of environment implied (it sticks in my craw to agree with him), common sense means nowt (in law). common sense means a million different things to a million different people. if i took a risk in upping sticks to another side of the world i would not expect the place i’d left to bail me out if things went pear shaped. disgusted – how about you putting your responsibility where you think your heart is and starting a fund to help mr towers or his local relatives? (and contribution payers do have a say on social security – each election time).
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People sound so surprised!
Why?
Don’t you realise if he, as a Guernsey Man were allowed back, it would mean one less place for some English person.
Some person having made their wack wishes to retire to a peaceful place,
Price of housing no problem. They made their lot, and now wish to show the natives how good they are,
And England says they bare fair minded???
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@blah
Who the heck do you think you are? Rex is a Guernsey Man, with Guernsey Family and has paid over 30 years in contributions. He should still have the right to be considered a Guernsey man. He obviously moved the Thailand (like many of us) to enjoy the later part of his life so that he didnt have to graft to the bone to make ends meet ( and it is like that for the working class people by the way). It’s not as if Rex needs care and to be a drain on resources for the next 20 years, he wants to spend his last 6 months at home with his family ,6 MONTHS!!!!!! Blah I think its you have gone morally wrong, there should be a a capping system that means if you pay into Social Security then a percentage of that should always be available to you for health care if you need it instead of behing wasted on things like Dole cheques for 19 year old tracksuit wearing herberts that dont lift a finger in society and get paid for being useless every week. Blah, you should be ashamed to call yourself a Guern if you cant see the bigger picture and just think about the money it costs. Start looking after our own, thats the problem with the powers that be in this island, after all, Rex has already paid for the treatment that he should be allowed to qualify for over here !!!
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I’d like to say I’m shocked by the soulless-ness and clinical money-orientated view of some people, but then again, this is 21st century Guernsey after all!
I can’t believe there is any question here. You can spout financial BS after financial BS – the fact is, morally and humanely, there is no doubt that the right thing to do is allow him his right to be here for the last moments of his life, after his 30 years of surely earning that right. I’m stunned that land boundaries, money and bureaucratic anality controls the judgement of so many people.
Imagine being denied your last moments of life with your family for a second, people… On a harsh technicality, no less…
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I’m disappointed the Press made the Social Insurance issue a leading story so there is a Your Shout to it and it sounds like the reason I am not returning to Guernsey…money is not the issue though as stated I am not happy with the system.
If you read the main feature about me and thought it through you would understand the real reason why I cannot return. Pity there is no Your Shout for that.
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The irony here is that Mr Towers – a regular contributor to the economy for decades – has fallen foul of legislation designed to protect the island from those who might seek to take without giving anything in return.
Although that is clearly not the case here, unfortunately the bureaucracy that controls the decision making process does not allow for the spirit of the law to be applied, it merely controls by the letter.
Few would dispute the good intentions of the law however it is the manner of its interpretation that is being (in my opinion) rightly challenged as simply deferring to the letter of the law has in this case rendered it cold, inhumane and unjust.
Clearly the moral imperative here is to allow Mr Towers to return to the island of his birth and spend the last few months of his life with his family. Allowing for a slightly less bureaucratic interpretation of the law would allow it to continue fulfilling its original purpose whilst allowing for compassion and humanity.
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Rex is an old friend that I grew up with in Guernsey. We threw boxes of flowers in backs of Argosies, and had a lot of fun working together; he was clearly devoted to the island, and has strong family ties there. I feel very badly for his situation, and hope that some acceptable resolution can be found. If he has paid for 30 years of insurance, it seems to send all the wrong messages to deny him palliative care in his home island. I would urge the powers that be to reconsider this denial of service. Whatever legaleze is at hand, humanitarian intervention is a wonderful thing. Please reconsider.
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Nice one Rory but you should know by now why I cannot return. I know you aren’t in Guernsey so you won’t have seen the main feature they did about me and its subject matter so drop me an email and i’ll send you a scan of it. Still paying your stamps are you?
Rex
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@blah
I wonder if blah would have the sam attitude if he had motor neurone disease?
Actually, he probably would.
Let him come home I say
BW
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Most people are missing the point here. As Rex says money is not the issue; I believe he could afford to pay for private palliative care for his remaining months in Guernsey himself. If not, his family would help him.
Rex does not want to die. He is in a horrible situation at the moment, in constant pain despite being dosed up with morphine, and 99% paralysed – he still has some slight movement in his fingers; enough to write slowly with two mice and an on-screen keyboard. He can barely speak any more. He has twice nearly choked to death. But he doesn’t want to go yet.
When he does, he will need help. And that is why he can’t come back – assisted suicide is illegal in Guernsey.
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I think its disgusting that Rex is not getting the help he needs at the most crucial time of his life, any financial situation should not come into it, he is after all a Guernsey man who was born and bred in Guernsey. His family still live in Guernsey and I can only imagine the horror that they must feel at not having Rex home with them at this very time. If you look around the Island 50 per cent of the population weren’t actually born there. The states of Guernsey, no matter what department, seem to have their wires crossed again and their priorities all mixed up. The sad thing about this is that the authorities will not change their minds or even bend the rules accordingly, even if they did it would probably be too late by the time they had decided to pull their finger out and do what the rest of us ( except maybe one or two ) consider to be the norma,l respectable, responsible and morally correct thing to do. Im very sorry for you Rex, you and your family have my heart felt sympathy. x
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Let him come home I say.
Dying of MND is bad enuogh… to have to do it 000′s of miles from home is dreadful.
He paid his dues.. let him come home
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I am absolutely disgusted that this man is not allowed the care needed for the short time he has left, in order to spend that time with family. I am shocked at the small mindedness of some readers and the outdated beurocacy that stops this man from coming home. My mother has MND and her deterioration is not as fast as Rex. I however would love her to be around her family when this disgusting, indiscriminate disease takes her life. I know Mr Towers family and friends feel the same. The years he has already spent in guernsey, with glorious childhood,adolescent and adult memories apparently counts for diddly squat. Shame on you guernsey states and shame on you guernsey press for seeing this as a story not worthy of front page news.
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I agree the fact that Rex cannot return home is floored in every way but having read the article I think the underlying question for Rex was his thoughts on euthanasia, himself being a sufferer of the heart-breaking disease MND. The fact that Rex cannot come home to die is indeed distressing for his parents and family but the fact that he cannot choose when to end his life is simply unjust. The thought of a family member withering away until he simply suffocates becuase his muscles no longer allow him to breathe is simply barbaric – we don’t treat animals this way -why do we treat humans this way?
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Not everyone chooses to come back home to Guernsey to be with their family when they know that their time coming to an end, but some want to come back, why can’t we help those who make this decision. There must be some way of dealing with this. You would have thought that that after spending the majority of his life here he would be helped to return for whatever time he has remaining. Isn’t it about time the powers to be in Guernsey got it’s priorities right.
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I haven’t lived on the island for a few years now but I feel really sad on reading this and not very proud to be a Guern. This is strange for me considering that I boast at every opportunity about our beautiful island. I dont know Rex or his family personally but I feel this is so completely wrong on all aspects. I can’t add anything else as all the above comments have more or less said it all but I would like to say Rex that you have my utmost respect and although nothing much shocks me anymore, this story has made me ashamed of where I come from.
Rex may you find the strength to face your final journey and be proud of who you are and what you mean to so many people. Keep writing your blog until you can and may all you Guernsey politicians who sit there in judgement, be very, very ashamed of yourselves.
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It’s annoying they made the piece a headline story so people can comment on it on Your Shout but the big feature on Assisted Suicide does not allow for comment. julieocean nailed it as to why I cannot return…someone would get into trouble for helping me when I have had enough of this filthy disease and I am too far gone to be accepted by Dignitas.
Rex
MY life story. .. http://thisismylife.46.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2
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Phuketrex
Les Bourgs Hospice is an excellent option for you. It would be advisable to have a member of your family pop in to have a chat with them.
Here’s their link. I hope it helps.
http://www.lesbourgshospice.org.gg/about-the-hospice.htm
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Phuketrex
Appreciate your points and I’m not usually one to jump to the defence of the GP but there have been a number of recent articles on this site related to Assisted Suicide. These have already generated a fair amount of comment – including your own valued contributions – and a quick check of the “site search” facility at the top of this page brought up at least four which still have the Your Shout facility available.
The question of your difficulties getting social security support is a valid one though and has equally broad ramifications for the island – and I for one think the GP are absolutely right to open it up for public comment, whilst allowing the debate on Assisted Suicide to continue on the other pages.
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This sad case is par for the course in Guernsey whose human rights record makes for woeful reading. Had this poor man been from the UK [which is often much maligned in these threads] all he would have had to do would have been to show his British passport, proclaiming him a British citizen, and he would have been welcomed back with open arms. If he had paid all his dues, as he has on Guernsey, the NHS would have taken full care of him. But to ban him from his family and his island while he is dying horribly and painfully is an act of gross inhumanity that makes even Hitler seem quite a reasonable guy.
Compare and contrast. My husband spent eight seasons working on Guernsey and five winters in Spain. He developed a painful and potentially life threatening condition but he managed to get back to the UK before collapsing. He had his passport on him and he’d paid his dues but the NHS didn’t even check that. They took him into hospital for two months; did endless tests; nursed him with devoted care and finally gave him a life saving drug which costs £1000 per unit. Now he is back with his family and friends in the UK and he has a future again. THAT is humanity, Guernsey.
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Quote:-
“Phuketrex,June 28, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I’m disappointed the Press made the Social Insurance issue a leading story so there is a Your Shout to it and it sounds like the reason I am not returning to Guernsey…money is not the issue though as stated I am not happy with the system.”
I know you Rex and spent a few good days with you a good while ago but Like many you chose to go to Thialand for the easy life.
You are unfortunately one of the few that have contracted the ailments you have any I certainly hope that I don`t get into the same situation.
However, to quote you, “money isn`t the issue” so If that is the case why can`t you return to your family and pay for the care you need?
I`m sure your family and friends will give their best to help you through your time left.
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Let him come home!
Also could the website do an online vote regarding assisted suicide for those with terminal illnesses? It would be interesting to see the results.
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Rex, you have obviously considered Dignitas as an option and, by your own admitance, can afford it.
Why wait until you are “too far gone” to be accepted by them? If it`s inevitably that your death is soon to be and you don`t want to die in pain but legally by your own hand then make your decision now while you will be acceptable to Dignitas.
I`m sure your family and friends will understand and support your decision.
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nocon – Rex is already WAY PAST the point at which Dignitas would accept him – he can’t sign consent forms, can’t speak legibly as a substitute, and can’t physically lift the pills himself, as they require.
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nocon
”
However, to quote you, “money isn`t the issue” so If that is the case why can`t you return to your family and pay for the care you need?”
Obviously we’re not getting through to you or you didn’t read the main feature. Money or care are NOT the reasons I cannot return although the way the Press have headlined it it reads that way. Read the main feature…I am not going to see out this horrible disease through the vegetable stage. Because I deteriorated so fast I will now need help with my final exit hence I cannot return to Guernsey as someone could get into trouble.
As for Dignitas of course I considered it when I was diagnosed but why would I want to go so early with just a bit of back and leg pain and using a stick and with still a reasonable quality of life..due to Dignitas’s rules Mr Smedley was forced to make a decision to go very early…and also when researching them I found that Thailand is one of only 3 countries in the world where it is legal to buy nembutal…Mexico and Peru the others…not that I’ve got any.
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I am shocked , I thought things were bad in Ireland but this is the worse I ever saw. Just hit on the net by accident and saw this very sad story. What excuse does the Authorities have to stop this man spending the remainder of his life with his own family. It is so curel and for a very wealthy Island like Guernsey(you don’t have to be bailed out by the IMF), to think that his famiy are thousands of miles away from him is horrific. Why should it matter that his spent 6 years in Thialand, he is a native of Guernsey, my
God have some Heart please!!!
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I am genuinely confused by this article and the following comments.
It seems clear that the GP have mis-represented the issue by making it appear that Rex would want to come to Guernsey if he could but that he cannot because he would not be eligible for States help.
But Rex has confirmed that money is not the issue.
Rex, you have my sincerest sympathies for the position you are in and I know that it must be extremeley hard for your family and for you.
But you seem to be saying above that you would come back to Guernsey if assisted suicide was possible in Guernsey, as then your family could help you. As it is not legal, you do not want them to assist your suicide due to the trouble that they would be in. All entirely understandable and it flows from the assisted suicide discussion that have been had elsewhere, and the understanding that many of us have shown for the difficult decisions that people such as yourself face.
But I am not sure where that leaves this article. Unfortunately, Siobhan from Ireland has stumbled across this article and now thinks that Guernsey is a heartless place, when the only conclusion that I can reach is that Guernsey, like most other places, simply does not permit assisted suicide.
Am I missing something?
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Terry, I think you have got it spot-on and Siobhan and others have got the wrong end of the stick. Poor Rex is staying put because he can legally buy Nembutal in Thailand and cannot in Guernsey or most other countries including UK and Ireland. What a god awful position to be in. Why can’t some humanity be intruduced into the process of dying? When the time comes, go in peace Rex.
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Terry
it is fair comment to say that Guernsey does not permit assisted suicide and there is no reason why it should.
the point, for me anyway, is that if Rex wanted to come home the States would not allow it. I worked on Guernsey for long enough to know the inflexibility and inhuman rigidity of the Island’s policies towards immigrants, and even its own ex-patriates, UNLESS of course they bought a house worth at least £1 million pounds when the Island would fall over its well shod heels to welcome them. Poor Rex probably doesn’t have that much money unless he is an investment banker.
there is no free health service provision on Guernsey but Rex IS a Guernseyman who has paid his dues so WHY isn’t he allowed the benefits of the money he put into the system. That is why I quoted my husband’s treatment by the NHS to compare and contrast in my earlier post. Like Rex, my husband had paid his full dues to his native country, but, unlike Rex, my husband was treated with compassion and the NHS have not asked for a penny in return. On Guernsey you need to be an investment banker to afford any medical treatment. Rex isn’t even asking for that. Just help so he can spend his last days with his family and he has been denied. That is what upset Siobhan and that is what upsets me.
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welcome to modern day guernsey,the land of non local preference.May the exodus continue.
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@Terry Langlois
“But you seem to be saying above that you would come back to Guernsey if assisted suicide was possible in Guernsey, as then your family could help you. As it is not legal, you do not want them to assist your suicide due to the trouble that they would be in.”
Yes Terry…you are spot on so yes the Press headline is misleading. Whilst I was being diagnosed last year I did contact States Insurance to ask what would happen if I returned but at the same time I was being advised to stay out here and my family agreed.
If I had my wish I would come back…someone would crush something put it in my JD and Coke and hold it up for me to drink…simple as…but that can’t happen. The only people doing well out of my situation are the airlines with me spending my money flying various family members out here.
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This is barbaric that Rex isn’t allowed back to end his days with his family yet the states of Guernsey are happy to let in undesirables and feed them and wipe their backsides at the tax payers expense , yet dont let a local guy who has paid thousands in taxes and been part of Guernsey life for years , bloody disgusting , the states should be ashamed of themselves .
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Why don’t people read the thread before posting! Mr Towers has made clear his reasons for not returning to Guernsey and the endless braying about the supposedly “barbaric” system in Guernsey which is stopping him returning is really adding nothing to this debate.
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Interesting that not a single member of the States Government has commented on this thread. But then, what could they say?
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Very difficult to reply to this thread – I think the Press did an excellent job with the main report regarding my brother’s feelings about assisted suicide and the horrible disease he suffers from.
I understand their reasoning for running with the ‘Cannot come home’ article on MyShout as it opens up another area for debate.
This is an area we as an Island are failing our ex-pats and definitely deserves exposure.
The fact is that Rex could probably afford to come home, it would mean cleaning out his entire savings and what remains would be swallowed very quickly by 24/7 palliative care.
Costs are incredible. Rex would require stretcher transport throughout the journey plus two trained english-speaking nurses would need to accompany him as he needs 24/7 care for breathing CPAP machine, medication, personal needs.
Meaning:
2 x flights out for nurses – LHR-Bangkok, Bangkok-Phuket.
A stretcher requires 6 seats, so 8x flights Phuket-Bangkok, Bangkok-LHR, Ambulance transit from LHR to LGW, LGW-GCI, ambulance transit to ‘where ever’ in Guernsey. 2 x tickets GCI-LGW for the nurses.
£70-80,000 wouldn’t be unrealistic.
With a terminally ill person like my brother, a Guernsey Passport holder, who chose to leave the Island after paying his tax and Insurance for 30 years and also chose (unfortunately) not to continue to pay his stamp the States of Guernsey have decided that they bear no responsibility to bring this person home. They also bear no responsibility to care for this person when they are back – he’d have to wait a year before being given any support – difficult to see how this would be any help when you have a life expectancy measured in months.
The headline includes the main point that Rex wants to get across – he wants to come home to die. To die when he chooses to do so. But it’s impossible.
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Charlie – I do sympathise with the plight that Rex is in, and the situation that your entire family are dealing with.
But moving away from the obvious and undenial human pain here, to the points that you raise about whether the States should assist, I am afraid that I do not agree.
Are you really saying that the States should pay £80,000 to bring home someone so that he can die with his family, when that person chose to leave the island many years ago? I am afraid that I cannot see any justification for such a request. It simply is not the taxpayer’s responsibility.
If I was on holiday, became hospitalised and had no insurance to bring me home, I would not expect the States to cough up to do so. And in that situation I would be a current tax payer.
We all pay our social security to allow the States to look after the inhabitants of the island. We do not have a personal pot that we can claim against at any time in future. Rex is no longer an inhabitant. If he was to return and make this his home again, then he would become eligible for care again. As you says, his circumstances make that irrelevant but surely you can see the reason for the rule, so that we don’t have people living out their lives away from the island and then returning as soon as they need medical attention? I know that is not Rex’s situation, but that is why the system works like that.
You say at the end that it is impossible, but at the beginning you say that he could, but it would clean him out financially.
Hard though it sounds, I do not think that the States can fund things such as this regardless of how tragic the situation is that you are in.
Have you tried making a charitable appeal to raise the repatriation costs and the care? It is evident from these message boards that many people would contribute. I would do so myself. But there is a difference between individuals chipping in voluntarily, and asking the States to spend taxpayers money (and then having to do the same for everyone else in the same or similar situations).
I do wish you, Rex and your family all the best (in the circumstances) for the remaining months of Rex’s life.
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Still hasn’t got through to you Terry the real reason I CANNOT return to Guernsey. Read my previous post.
As for QUOTE “we don’t have people living out their lives away from the island and then returning as soon as they need medical attention?”
You are right Guernsey doesn’t but UK does. I have a friend here who is a diabetic. ..been out here 10 years. A few months ago both feet swelled up and one became gangrenous. “Dave why are you going back to England where it is freezing when you can get sorted here?” “Because it is free!” he said. Mind you if he had stayed here they probably would have taken his foot off.
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It seems to me that a lot of people who post on this thread are incapable of reading previous posts, particularly by Rex who seems to be trying his hardest to highlight that it is NOT because of the States not giving him help and paying for support and carers while he is back on the island.
In my opinion, several of the posters here should take a step back and look at the issue that is really at hand here.
Rex – Although i understand your reasons as to why you cannot come back to your home with your family for those final months, i do wish you all the best. Ever since Mr. Smedlleys programme and the various media attention to the subject at hand, I have thought more and more about it. I also read your thread on your life and it does make me smile that you seemed to have lived to the full as much as possible. Take care.
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Rex – I did read your previous comment and understand your reasoning, but Charles then posted something quite different, hence my response to him.
But, I don’t want to get into an argument or a drawn out discussion on a very personal matter, so I will leave it there.
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Terry, your comments were valid, I posted in relation to the topic title using my brother’s situation as an example.
A couple of questions occurred to me in response to your comments – would it make a difference if Rex had been away for 6 months rather than 6 years? How long away from the Island warrants the Island deciding not to help?
Secondly using the example ‘It simply is not the taxpayer’s responsibility.” – Rex was a taxpayer for 30 years, the black-hole never materialised so I imagine there’s still funds in the islands coffers from his contributions, plus the interest they would have accrued.
How many ex-pats are ever in a situation like this? Is it one a year? 10, 20?
According to the CIA factbook we have a death-rate of 8.44 per 1,000 population, approx 550 citizens die in our island per year, although I cannot know the actual figures I cannot see that the figure to re-patriate terminally ill Guernsey Passport holders in one year could be counted on the fingers of more than two hands.
Maybe opening debate on this will allow a policy change to help the next person facing a similar situation.
I really do appreciate the supportive comments you made Terry and I know that all the comments in this thread have made a difference to my family. Coyote – really appreciated your example & it’s apparent that one of the richest areas of the British Isles does not support it’s citizens or ex-pats as well as the NHS.
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