Death With Dignity Podcast

Following our previous episode on the landscape of medical aid in dying laws in California and across the U.S, we now have great news to share: MAID has the potential to pass in two separate states, New York and Illinois. Our guest, Mandi Zucker, executive director of End-of-Life Choices NY, joins us to talk about what this bill could mean for patients, the current political landscape (Zohran Mamd...

Jess Pezley, senior staff attorney at Compassion and Choices, explores the current legal landscape surrounding medical aid in dying legislation in California and across the United States, addressing challenges, misconceptions, and its connection to broader healthcare rights. • Medical aid in dying laws face ongoing legal challenges from religious organizations  • A key challenge through United Spi...

We are back with an unreleased gem from the podcast archives. Join us as Serene Meshel-Dillman, director of the upcoming docu-series " Take Me Out Feet First " about Medical Aid in Dying, discusses the project. Andrew is featured in one of the episodes in the docu-series!  "Take Me Out Feet First" will soon be available on Amazon SVOD. This episode is enriched with Andrew’s uni...

Andrew's parents join the Death with Dignity Podcast. Steve and Suzy Flack open a window into what it was like the day Andrew ingested the medical aid in dying medication, what the last 8 months have been like, the California/Chicago memorials, and speak openly and honestly about what it is like to be in their position today. Recorded on July 16, 2023 Learn more about the podcast & follow...

Andrew’s final transmission. It consists of three separate recordings he recorded on three different days.  Andrew is joined by Suzy and Hasban to talk about his condition, how he's thinking about end-of-life options, psychedelics, life lessons, and friends/family. He also answers some questions from the listeners. The outro (the Desiderata) was recorded around 20 minutes before he ingested t...

Show notes: Recorded on Aug, 17 2022 . This is one of the two episodes that were released after Andrew’s passing.  We originally planned on releasing this episode before his passing and the final transmission (episode 21) after his passing. But, things didn’t work out that way.  It didn’t feel right to release them one by one so we decided to release them simultaneously.  About the guest: Ginger F...

Author Joanne Tubbs Kelly joins us to discuss her book titled, “Walking Him Home:  Helping My Husband Die with Dignity” ( Amazon Link ). Joanne sits down with us to discuss her book and shares her experiences supporting her late husband as they navigate life with a terminal illness. She discusses the writing and publishing process, the ups and downs involved with being a caregiver, and the idea th...

Nurse Penny has been comforting and supporting people during their end-of-life experiences for many years.  She also has a substantial social media following on TikTok and Instagram .  Nurse Penny uses social media to educate people about Hospice Services, Advanced Directives and wills, and death anxiety and how it impacts our lives.  We encourage you to follow Penny on social media. We thank her...

Spiritual care is an integral component of the healing process, and in this episode, Allison Kestenbaum and Rev. Katie Whipple-Hatelvig join us from the UCSD Chaplain and Spiritual Care Services.  These two individuals provide compassion and spiritual support to both patients and families, offering a variety of services including crisis intervention, spiritual support, support in decision making a...

TW // Eating Disorders Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani is an internist, who specializes in eating disorders. She is from Northern California, but moved to Boston for School. Once she finished her schooling, she moved to Colorado. Dr. Gaudiani now runs the nations top medical stabilization program for adults with eating disorders. She recently made news when she authored a study in which she prescribed medic...

Meagan Williams resides in Oregon and has a deep history of supporting others and empowering her community.  A retired transition teacher, Meagan now works with Compassion and Choices, an advocacy organization working towards the goal of giving people the option of Medical Aid in Dying.  Meagan also serves her community as a Death Doula, helping those transition from life to death.  In this episod...

Dr. Chandana Banerjee is a medical doctor who works at City of Hope, located in Los Angeles, California.  She has expertise in pediatrics, palliative care, end of life care, and hospice care.   Describing End of Life care as an “Art”, Dr. Banerjee also developed the End of Life Symposium in 2019, an annual event focusing on end of life care and education involving physicians, nurses, advanced care...

We were excited to sit down and interview Danna Nelson, a young woman living in Minnesota with a rare cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma; an aggressive cancer which forms in the soft tissues.  Danna was diagnosed while living in Finland at the age of 22.  It was a pleasure listening and conversing with Danna, as she is the first individual we’ve interviewed for the DwD Podcast who is in a similar posi...

Friends, in today’s episode, Erika Gergerich joins us from Arkansas to share her stories as a stage IV breast cancer patient,  a professor at the University level, and a single mother!  She has a teenage daughter and a 4 year old son; Erika provides powerful insight to our listeners, sharing the difficulties and successes of balancing her life as a mom with a terminal disease, along with the other...

We are joined by Allyne Hammer, a resident of California who was diagnosed with lymphoma, and a brain tumor, over 12 years ago!  Since the diagnosis, she had tried the standard treatment of care, only to experience the rarest and most harrowing of side effects.  Recognizing that traditional medicine wasn’t helpful in her case, Alina has been experimenting with various homeopathic remedies for over...

A long-time advocate for medical aid in dying, Roger Kligler is a retired physician in Falmouth, MA, living with prostate cancer. In this episode, Roger shares his journey with cancer and advocacy experiences,  and gives us a glimpse into his life as he prepares for a lawsuit against the state of MA, which would declare that Medical Aid in Dying is not criminal under Massachusetts law, meaning pro...

Kim Callinan is the CEO of Compassion & Choices. With an annual budget of approximately $20 million dollars, she leads the largest national consumer advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to improving care and expanding options at life's end. Learn more about the podcast & follow our story - deathwithdignitypodcast.com // @DWDPodcast2021 ( Twitter ).

Brittany Maynard was perhaps the greatest advocate for Medical Aid in Dying in the state of California.  Diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013, Brittany was forced to leave her home state of California in a move to Oregon so she could take advantage of their Medical Aid in Dying law.  Her husband, Dan Diaz, was with her throughout this experience, supporting and loving her throughout her bout with...

The team traveled to Moore's Cancer Center at UCSD to record this special episode.  Dr. Millard was a great source of information for all things cancer and you can learn more about him below. Learn more about the podcast & follow our story - deathwithdignitypodcast.com // @DWDPodcast2021 (Twitter) About Frederick Millard, MD Frederick Millard, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist w...

Lynette Cederquist, MD, is a hospice and palliative medicine specialist who helps relieve suffering in people with life-limiting and advanced illnesses. Dr. Cederquist is also the head of the Aid in Dying program at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). She explains why she chose to be involved with the Death with Dignity process and her experience as a professional.  She also discusses b...

Dr. Tom Cummings is the medical director of Interim Hospice of San Diego.  A graduate of Stanford followed by University of California, San Diego, Medical School, Dr. Cummings has been an advocate for providing quality care for patients grappling with a terminal disease in the Hospice setting.  Being involved with over 200 patients and friends concerning the End of Life Option Act, he joins the De...

Monika Lingle helps us understand the end-of-life process through her experience as a licensed clinical social worker.  Monika's specialties include: Oncology, California End of Life Option Act, Grief Counseling, Pediatrics, Maternal-Child health, Bioethics, Palliative Care, Post Graduate Clinical Supervision, and Advanced Health Care Directive planning. Learn more about the podcast & fol...

California State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman joins the podcast to discuss her role as a legislator advocating for the End of Life Option Act, passed into California law on June 9th, 2016.  Senator Eggman was instrumental in the passage of the bill and continues to advocate for Death with Dignity today. Learn more about the podcast & follow our story - deathwithdignitypodcast.com // @DWDPod...

In this episode, Andrew’s mother, Suzy Flack, joins the Pod to have an in depth conversation of her role as a parent of an adult child with a terminal cancer diagnosis.  Suzy reflects on the differences between her experiences as a mother, helping Andrew as a child with cancer, versus the support she provides now, as he works his way through the current prognosis. Learn more about the podcast &amp...

In the first episode of the DWD Podcast, we outline the purpose of the podcast; investigating the Death with Dignity experience, specifically the physical, social-emotional, and spiritual elements related to the process.  Meet DWD Podcast host Andrew Flack, a 33 year old special education teacher with terminal cancer. Learn more about the podcast & follow our story - deathwithdignitypodcast.co...