Dying By Choice

Phyllis Shacter's husband made a series of radical choices about how his life would end. When he received two life limiting diagnoses within six weeks of each other, Alzheimers and cancer, he refused cancer treatment and employed natural methods instead. He planned and participated in his own funeral and followed what he believed was best for him, choosing to stop eating and drinking before he was unable to consciously decide how his life would end. Throughout all of these experiences and decisions, he had a supporter and advocate in his wife Phyllis. Understanding the choices he was making, she stood as a pillar to his right to end life in the way that was right for him. He left her with a mission; by sharing his story, she would contribute to the conversation on end of life options. Powered by her love of him and the peace and beauty he felt at the end of his life, she speaks powerfully for taking our lives in our own hands and fully exploring what is best for each of us.

Phyllis Shacter has been a teacher, business consultant, life coach and public speaker. Today she uses her skills to share her personal story as a platform to educate others about expanding end of life choices. Her book, Choosing to Die, is both a memoir and a guidebook and is the first personal story ever written about VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking).

Phyllis’ husband decided to VSED rather than live into the late stages of Alzheimer’s. Choosing to Die is their love story. It is a book about their partnership and the brave territory they traversed, including how they prepared themselves with proper medical and legal guidance.

It is available on Amazon.com. She is a frequent speaker and educator about this topic. Her TEDx talk, “Not Here By Choice” is on the Home Page of her informative website, www.PhyllisShacter.com.