Jorge: There’s something I’d like to talk to you about, if you’ve got a minute.

Vera: Sure.

Jorge: Since you’re my medical decision maker, I was thinking we should talk about, you know, what is important to me.

Vera: Of course.

Jorge: Well, my doctor and I started talking about some new treatments.

Vera: Oh? Is your heart failure getting worse?

Jorge: The doctor said that there are certain treatments that won’t cure my heart problems, but may help me feel a little bit better—you know, not so tired. Now you know how important it is for me to try to live to see you get married...

Vera: And I want you there.

Jorge: So, that’s why I think I would want to at least try these treatments. I know there are no guarantees...but I think I would even be willing to try other more aggressive treatments if the doctors thought I might have a chance of making it to your wedding day. Maybe even CPR or a breathing machine.

Vera: But, what if your heart gets worse? What if the doctors don’t think those other treatments will help you? And, what if you just end up suffering?

Jorge: I know it’s hard to predict what might happen. My health could get worse at any time. That’s why I want to give you total flexibility to work with the doctors and to use your best judgment when making medical decisions for me.

Vera: So, you mean I can have the flexibility to change your past decisions, even about CPR and a breathing machine, if those decisions are better for you, even if that decision is to help you die comfortably, like Aunt Rosa?

Jorge: Yes, you have total flexibility. I trust you to make the right decisions for me. Am I making sense?

Vera: Yes. You want the doctors to try medical treatments that may help you live long enough to see me get married. But, if your health gets worse and you can’t speak for yourself, then it's OK for me to work with your doctors and to change your decisions if we think it is best for you at that time.

Jorge: Exactly!

Jorge: It never seems as though there is a good time to bring these things up. I didn’t want to burden my niece, you know, since she is planning her wedding. But, she needs to know what is important to me and how much flexibility she would have to make medical decisions. This information could actually relieve a lot of stress if she ever needed to make decisions for me. I made sure to talk to Vera when we had some alone time together and also made sure she understood what I was asking her to do. It’s a weight off my shoulders to know that she really understands what is important to me.