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Recently there was articles about two 45-year-old Belgian deaf twins who found out they were going blind. Therefore, they both decided to end their lives by medically assisted suicide. Fortunately for them, they lived in Belgium, a country where euthanasia is legal. They said goodbye to their family and went into that eternal slumber that people all eventually face.I couldn't help but feel profoundly sad for these two men. One reason is that I simply don't think the life span of a deaf and blind person is worthless. Also because I don't think that people that are depressed should be permitted to end their lives. Psychiatrists might help both with therapy and medications, if necessary.The main reason I feel sad for these men is that I saw the movie, The Miracle Worker, about Helen Keller. She actually is famous worldwide as a woman who was simply both deaf and blind who became an author, public speaker and political activist, traveling around the world. If Helen Keller can make a life worth living, why couldn't these two men?I find it hard to believe that with all of the medical advances out there, they couldn't come up with a treatment for help their deafness or prevent them from going blind.I recently saw a movie about cochlear implants. These devices have allowed children who have been born deaf to hear and become portion of the hearing world. http://www.phishtank.com/ However, in this movie, they did say that these implants aren't as successful in adults. The cochlear implant allows them to hear but they don't necessarily understand what they're hearing so they still depend on lip-reading. Because children's brains remain developing, they are more likely to learn to understand and communicate like a hearing person.Let's just assume that these men looked into all the medical possibilities of improving their eyesight and hearing, and there were none. What options are left for them as deaf and blind people?The issue with cochlear implants and solutions for the deaf is that they assume you can see. After all, the deaf world is filled with people who can easily see. Likewise, the blind community is full of people who can hear. A person who is both deaf and blind could have one foot straddling both communities. Yet they might not really be a full member of either world.I started to think about all of the difficulties of a person who can neither see nor hear. Then I thought who am I to judge these men on their decision? After all, I'm speaking from the position of privilege. I can see, although not and also I used to manage to. I could hear, albeit with some hearing loss.What type of life would someone deaf and blind live? What would each day in their life be like? When I think about everything I do on a daily basis a deaf and blind person would not be able to do, I understand why the twins felt so hopeless. But if Helen Keller read, wrote, graduated from Radcliffe College, and made her life worth living, why couldn't they?What would I do on a regular basis if I were within their shoes. These men would not be able to work. They might not be self-sufficient and would probably be institutionalized or at least require a helper using them all or quite often. Their only chance of having any activity in their life would be if they learn Braille so they could read.I understand that being deaf and blind makes communication with all of those other world difficult, but when you can read and write, you can find ways of staying in touch with other people. I've no doubt that people would like to read their opinions and also read a book they wrote about their life experiences and difficulties. After all, when you think about difficulties they face, you realize how minor your own problems are.I really do not think badly of the men for giving up on life, but I do believe they had other choices. They could have been examples of two men who triumphed over two of the biggest disadvantages in life. Ultimately, I am sad about the inspiration these men might have been to many people around the globe if they had chosen to continue living. After all, I believe among our biggest purposes in life would be to inspire others. So long as you have the ability to think, speak and write, you are able to do this. It's important for everybody to remember that.