Compassion & Choices understands the importance of stories. Whether they discuss planning for life’s end, describe a death that went well or went wrong, or highlight the importance of this movement, read about the end-of-life issues we all face.
Eighteen years ago, Peter Goodwin led the fight to guarantee Oregonians the right to Death with Dignity. Last winter, he’s approached his own death. And he had a prescription.
Telling stories is one of the best ways to raise consciousness and understand ourselves. Stories empower and inspire reform. So last year we asked people to write about the unnecessary tragedy of bad deaths.
Jim Lester called Compassion & Choices at the beginning of February 2010. He had several conversations with a member of our End-of-Life Consultation team, first by phone, then as speaking became more difficult, by email. His wife wrote this memoir of his experience in choosing how to spend his final days.
Elaine Spence contacted Compassion & Choices’ End-of-Life Consultation (EOLC) Program in 2010 for her father. Elaine’s parents, Armond and Dorothy Rudolph, were advanced in age and suffered from multiple medical conditions.
Ten years after his neurologist confirmed he had Parkinson’s disease, Alan Hansen of Lincoln faced an oncoming death. He met it in a manner consistent with his beliefs and values. Working with Compassion & Choices’ End-of-Life Consultation (EOLC) Program and with his family’s support, he achieved a peaceful death at a time and place he wanted.
