I first met Jackson at the hallway of St. James Hospital. I had a cast on my right arm after an accident at University and Jackson bumped into me before falling face first. I was about to shout “Watch it!” at him before realizing he was crying on the ground.

We became friends when I offered my left arm for him. Later, I found out that Jackson was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and his muscles from lower hip were not functioning properly. He began to fall over uncontrollably, as his legs would collapse from under him and he struggled to walk up small stairs. MND is a disease with no cure and all patients who had such disease dies within one to five years. This disease shattered his dreams of becoming a national fencer and he knew all hopes are lost.

A year later he was wheelchair bound; his legs had deteriorated and failed him, he had completely lost sense from hip below. Jackson couldn’t even control his hands to pick up objects.

“Mark,” he called, “What do you think about euthanasia?”

I was suddenly alarmed. I’ve often read cases about people being able to legally end their own lives and also denied the rights to die. To hear the word coming from Jackson was surprising. Jackson was full of life, cheerful and funny despite his disability. I was dumbfounded when he hinted something about death.

He talked about death more and more every single day, the