Southland Man Seeks Kevorkian Help : Euthanasia: The quadriplegic has arranged for the Michigan inventor of a suicide machine to help him end his life of pain and dependence.

A Los Angeles-area quadriplegic in despair over an existence of pain and dependence has arranged for suicide-machine inventor Jack Kevorkian to help him end his life. The case would mark the first time that Kevorkian helped a man kill himself.

The 34-year-old quadriplegic, identified only as Gary in a Time magazine article about his case, said that life gives him no pleasure.

“I require total care,” he told Time. “I can’t feed myself. I can’t drive. I can’t dress myself. I can’t go to the bathroom by myself. I am always in some degree of pain or discomfort.

“Realistically, there is no cure and this type of life is not acceptable to me,” said Gary, who became disabled after being shot in the spine five years ago. Gary had been an avid long-distance runner who had planned to marry, raise a family and pursue a career in social work.

In the article, Gary speaks of having to travel to Michigan--the home of Kevorkian--to commit suicide before April 1, when the law banning assisted suicides takes effect.

“They’re going to shut him down April 1, and I’m going to be one of the lifeboats off the Titanic,” Gary said. “I’m thinking somewhere between January and March. It could be sooner. The luxury of having more time is gone.”

But Kevorkian--whose medical license was suspended for previously assisting with suicides--reportedly will not rush Gary.

The new law “is not going to control Dr. Kevorkian’s actions in regards to Gary,” said Detroit attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who represents Kevorkian and confirmed the essential details of the Dec. 28 Time article, to be published today. “The change in the law will have no effect whatsoever on Dr. Kevorkian. He has already indicated he would violate the law if he felt it was appropriate.”

Since 1990, Kevorkian has assisted with the suicides of eight middle-aged and elderly women. All suffered from chronic or terminal illnesses and had contacted Kevorkian asking for help ending their lives. The most recent assisted suicides were a pair of elderly women Dec. 15.

Later that day, Michigan Gov. John Engler signed the legislation that will impose a 15-month ban on assisted suicides while a commission studies the issue. Violators face up to four years in prison.

“The methods of Mr. Jack Kevorkian . . . are wrong because he has deliberately flouted the law and taken it upon himself to be his own judge, jury and executioner in Michigan,” Engler said.

Kevorkian plans to challenge the ban in court.

Critics have called the retired pathologist everything from a serial murderer to a woman-hater. They note that the earlier suicides were all women, including Marguerite Tate, 70, and Marcella Lawrence, 67, who died last week.

Gary, who is paralyzed from the neck down, would be the first man and the youngest person to die with Kevorkian’s aid. After his shooting, Gary spent nine months in the hospital. Besides medicine, Gary has tried acupuncture, chiropractic, body massage and nutrition in attempts to ease his pain and rehabilitate himself.

“He can watch TV. He can listen to the radio. He can read a newspaper with great difficulty and he can talk with people visiting him and that is the extent of his life,” said Time reporter Andrea Sachs, who agreed to protect Gary’s anonymity.

Gary needs around-the-clock care, which he said has been a continuing problem.

“There’s a chronic turnover of attendants,” Gary said. “It’s very difficult to find honest people who will work for you and help you. It’s very draining after a couple of months when someone leaves and you have to train a new person to do everything that needs to be done.”

Gary contacted Kevorkian last April.

“It may be my misfortune that I cannot live with this condition,” Gary said. “Maybe other people can; I cannot.”

Attorney Fieger said that if Gary went to Michigan, he would receive additional counseling. His parents and minister would accompany him, Fieger said.

The attorney added that within the last week Gary’s mother wrote to say that Gary seemed to be getting more enjoyment from life recently.

“We are hoping that he will go on and live for a while,” Fieger said.