“Of course, people do unexpectedly die, without loved ones around them, all the time. Many times we do not have time to prepare for sudden loss. Sometimes — and I am sure my dad was one of them — we do not want to be encircled by ritual in the deeply intimate moment of dying.
But, given the choice… how would we opt to die? Shouldn’t we be able to make that choice when we know our end is coming within six months?
…
A year before he died, when dad was still living at home, I was talking to my parents about the Compassion & Choices movement I was learning about — explaining what the legislation is and is not able to do for people closest to death. My dad, in his soft-spoken way, simply said, in a moment not clouded by dementia: ‘I would like to have that choice.’”
Mail contributions directly to:
Compassion & Choices Gift Processing Center
PO Box 485
Etna, NH 03750
Compassion & Choices is a 501 C3 organization. Federal tax number: 84-1328829
