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Demystifying Medical Aid in Dying: Family Voices – Part One

In this session, D.S. Moss of the Adventures of Memento Mori podcast is joined by special guests Dan Diaz and Myra S. for personal perspectives on the use of medical aid in dying.
 
Dan and his late wife, Brittany Maynard, had to move from California to Oregon in 2014, so she could utilize Oregon’s medical aid-in-dying law to peacefully end her suffering from terminal brain cancer. At the time, California did not authorize the practice, but because of her story and Dan’s advocacy, California adopted a medical aid in dying law the year after Brittany passed. Shortly after California’s End of LIfe Options Act was instituted Myra S.’s mother was able to take advantage of the option.
 




The beautiful experience that Myra’s family was able to share during their mother’s final days was ultimately made possible by the advocacy of Dan and Brittany. Hear from these two advocates who continue to pave the way to ensure that all residents of the United States have access to end of life options.
 
Panelists provide first-hand accounts of their intimate involvement in death involving medical aid in dying, and will share the peace the option affords. We hope that this webinar will offer a glimpse into what having a medical aid in dying law means and how the lasting impression of a loved one’s final days can be a treasured memory.
 

Demystifying Medical Aid in Dying: The Facts – Part Two

 

 
In part two of this two part series, Jill Schock of Death Doula LA, Amanda Cavanaugh of Compassion & Choices, and Mandy Benoualid of TalkDeath and Keeper, discuss the ins and outs of medical aid in dying. These panelists provide information about where the practice is legal, what laws in the United States allow, and the challenges faced by those who seek out this option.



Attendees will also learn about what they can do if they want this option for themselves, and ask the experts their own questions during the session. Hear the answers to tough questions and join us to demystify the practice of medical aid in dying as an option for terminally ill patients at life’s inevitable end.
 

About the Panelists:

 
Mandy Benoualid is the co-founder and President of Keeper, a collaborative online memorial platform. Mandy is also the editor of the death positive media site, TalkDeath.com, interviews death professionals for the web series #TalkDeath, and regularly speaks at funeral and cemetery conferences.
 
Amanda Cavanaugh is a campaign manager at Compassion & Choices. She worked on the campaign to successfully pass New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, and works on the campaign to pass a similar law in New York State. Prior to working with Compassion & Choices, she completed training for Medical Assisting because she had a passion for helping people. Amanda also worked in the health insurance field specializing in helping people access Medicaid and Medicare. 
 
D.S. Moss is the producer and host of The Adventures of Memento Mori, a podcast that explores the cosmos of death. Satirical, philosophical, and heartfelt the show follows host, D.S. Moss, as he attempts to reconcile his own impermanence in order to live a more meaningful life. He is currently in seminary school studying to become a secular Humanist Chaplain.
 
Jill Schock is the owner of Death Doula LA and has been working with the dying since 2009. Jill believes in empowering her clients to step away from the negative stigma of death and embrace style and choice as end-of-life approaches. Jill has been working with the Medical Aid in Dying law since it was passed in 2015 by Governor Brown in California and has seen how peaceful transitions can be when the dying have the opportunity to take their death into their own hands.
 
Special thanks to the Reimagine Festival for hosting this event.

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