Momentum Builds in Maryland On January 28, 185 Marylanders stormed Annapolis and made a splash. Their message? THE TIME IS NOW to pass the Maryland End of Life Option Act. Supporters from Prince George’s County to Baltimore took to the offices of the House and Senate, and implored their legislators to pass this bill [...]
Leila Bell, an 85-year-old great grandmother in Vancouver, decided the circumstances of her death warranted one last act of advocacy. She told a handful of close friends, her psychologist and her doctor about her plan. Her long-time confidante Sarah Townsend made the arrangements. On 22 August 2019, six days before the day Bell was scheduled [...]
The Rev. Joseph Kitchen is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden. How do you want to die? Studies show that about 80 percent of people would prefer to die at home. But only about half of Americans die while receiving home hospice services. History shows that one way to increase the odds of [...]
10 Years of Baxter v. Montana: Access and Protection Efforts Continue December 31, 2019, marked 10 years since the landmark Baxter v. Montana ruling, which authorized medical aid in dying in Montana. Compassion & Choices continues efforts on the ground in Montana to educate and empower residents to learn about their end-of-life options and to protect [...]
Storyteller Spotlight: Debbie Stern Debbie Stern, a retired psychiatric social worker, has had end-of-life issues on her mind since caring for her father after his lung cancer diagnosis. “We were very close, and it was a horrible death,” she recalls. “He ended up going down to 75 pounds from being a big man, and he [...]
Compassion & Choices national staff and New York-based volunteers spent three days at New York’s Legislative Office Building and Capitol, January 21-23, exhibiting an inspiring and moving educational display on medical aid in dying for legislators and visitors. The display featured profiles of local and national leaders in the end-of-life care movement. Included are Archbishop [...]
Our voices are one of the largest catalysts for change. And our storytellers are the heart of our work to improve, expand and protect the full spectrum of options for end-of-life care. From those living with terminal illness to the loved ones who stand by watching helplessly, our work elevates the voices of those storytellers. In [...]
GOLDEN, Colo. ― The call came the last week of September, when Neil Mahoney could still stagger from his bed to the porch of his mobile home to let out his boisterous yellow Lab, Ryder. Rodney Diffendaffer, a clinical pharmacist in Longmont, 45 miles away, had left a message. Your prescription is ready, it said. [...]
Diagnosed with dementia, she documented her wishes for the end. Then her retirement home said no. "When she worked on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, long before cellphone calculators, Susan Saran could perform complex math problems in her head. Years later, as one of its top regulators, she was in charge [...]
Dr. Melvin Palalay was conflicted when a dying patient asked him to be her medical advocate in ending her life. This is the story of how he reconciled his duty to his patient with his Catholic faith. more at link A Hawaii Doctor’s Journey Toward Embracing Medical Aid In Dying
