Death with Dignity Act: Faced with terminal diagnosis, Washingtonians have a right to a full range of options for care at the end-of-life, including medical-aid-in-dying. Medical aid in dying allows terminally ill adults to get a prescription they can take to end...
Policy Statement The medical community has made great progress in developing treatments to extend life. It has also created new fields of medicine devoted to treatments for the pain and suffering associated with debilitating or terminal diseases. End of Life...
Updated resource: Preparation and Choice in the time of COVID-19 Since early April, most of the emails welcoming me to End of Life Washington (EOLWA) as Executive Director have almost apologetically pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenging time...
“Often, by the time a person is considering medical aid-in-dying, they can’t manage the process. It isn’t an instant process by design. There are numerous steps that take considerable effort and time. Too many medical providers and systems withhold information,...
“Carol was great; she was so understanding, helpful, and informative. She sat and talked with my mom and me about my mom’s wishes to not suffer and to be in control.” – Aunt B’s Daughter. “What I enjoy most about working with...
“If you ever call End of Life Washington about your or a loved one’s end-of-life choices, I hope Kathleen is the first person you reach. In the tenderest moments, Kathleen deftly balances depth of heart and presence, levity, and practical help with matters that...
From 800 miles away, until the very end, Dan looked after his beloved Aunt B. Aunt B was a salt of the earth Spokane woman. She lived a good life with grit, spunk, and determination; her best friend was her horse of 18 years, Oakey Boy. Aunt B grew older with support...
by Aleah Weslyn, Volunteer Storyteller For centuries, death doulas were present across cultures; particularly found in African culture and among Black communities. Being a death doula was considered a spiritual calling that can be traced all the way back to the slave...
Jessica Kaan, DO Dr. Jessica Kaan attended Creighton University for her undergraduate education and received her medical degree from Des Moines University. She completed her internship and residency at Providence Portland Medical Center. She then served three years in...
by Kris Shankar, Volunteer Storyteller (abridged version from the newsletter) Eastern Washington State tends to be a socially conservative place where religion and traditions guide the outlook of many people. When Cindy Nover, Associate Professor of Social Work...
by Sunil Aggarwal, MD, Ph.D., Board Vice President Recognizing the urgent need for more options to alleviate the at times paralyzing psychospiritual distress that accompanies a terminal illness diagnosis and at end of life, End of Life Washington broke new ground in...
by Nancy Sapiro, JD, EOLWA Lobbyist While it may seem like the ink is barely dry on the bills that were signed into law from the 2022 session, End of Life Washington’s advocacy work is well underway, preparing for the 2023 session. We’ve been meeting internally to...
Nancy pictured with her father at the 1991 Tulip Festival. by Nancy Niedzielski In 2008, I focused all of my time on the Washington Physician-Assisted Death Initiative (I-1000) campaign. It was a promise I made to my husband, Randy. He begged for aid in dying as he...
