Bob Gellatly: Having a Choice, Having Control

The Power of Coming Together: Lisa Vigil Schattinger on Advocating for Death with Dignity in Ohio

Shana Sadoski has joined us as a Community Coordinator in the Toledo area. She has just completed her Masters of Social Work program and will complete her Masters of Public Health program in December. She is a Licensed Social Worker experienced in the hospital setting and is a hospice volunteer as well.

While completing her Masters degrees, Shana worked as an intern with a local nonprofit organization on a grant-funded program created to meet the growing need for end-of-life conversations. This program is the Respecting Choices project. Respecting Choices “is an internationally recognized, evidence-based model of advance care planning (ACP) that creates a healthcare culture of person-centered care; care that honors an individual’s goals and values for current and future healthcare.”

Shana says, “My passion for end-of-life care comes through personal experiences and volunteering with local hospices. These experiences have motivated me to educate people on the importance of conversations about end-of-life wishes. Whether a healthy adult or a terminally ill person, we all have a choice in how our health care is coordinated. Those decisions should not be hindered but be respected in every state in our great country. I am so thankful my Google search for Ohio End of Life Options brought me to Lisa and the whole team that works incredibly hard to spread the word about end-of-life options for Ohioans. I am proud to work with such passionate people, and look forward to moving this conversation along!”

Ohio End of Life Options is excited that Shana is joining us to help start the conversation about medical aid-in-dying in the Toledo area. Shana has already spoken to legislators about a Death with Dignity law and will bring great experience and knowledge to the discussion.

I am remembering Dr. Jack Rowe, or Grandpa Jack as he was known in our family. By sharing our experience on cleveland.com, I wanted to start the conversation about a Death with Dignity law in Ohio. Our group is working toward that. Sign up on our website, OhioOptions.org to join us in our efforts.

A loved one ends his life with the help of the Death with Dignity law: Lisa Vigil Schattinger (opinion), cleveland. com, December 9, 2014

Register by June 7. One lucky winner per session will win a $50 Amazon gift card

We are recruiting individuals from all walks of life for two focus groups in the Cleveland area. You will be providing your opinion on a series of images and messaging statements related to medical aid in dying and the mission and goals of Ohio End of Life Options.

Cleveland East-June 13th at 7:00pm
Cleveland West-June 14th at 7:00pm

Last week, board member Molly McMahon Graziano and I traveled to the Youngstown area to meet retired Rev. Jim Ray and his wife, Sue Anzelotti. We had corresponded quite a bit and Jim and Sue have said that they would like to help bring attention to Ohio End of Life Options’ cause. However, when we all sat down to talk, I quickly realized that we needed to define the terms we were using. Since the terminology surrounding end-of-life wishes can be quite euphemistic, I needed to make sure that we were all discussing the same things.

So when Sue said, “I would like a compassionate death”. I said, “Please tell me what that means to you”. Sue had a broad definition of what “compassionate death” meant. She referred to their experience with friends at the end of life who took control by not eating or drinking while suffering from debilitating illnesses (formally called Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking, VSED). Continue reading →

Jessica contacted Ohio End of Life Options a few months ago asking how she could get involved. As president of Case Western Reserve University’s Student Health Law Group, she’s already helped start the discussion about medical aid in dying among her colleagues. Ohio End of Life Options is excited about the skills and talents Jessica brings to our organization.

I asked Jessica to share what’s brought her to this cause and she says,

“I am a Cleveland native currently in my second year of law school at Case Western Reserve University, focusing in healthcare law. I became a supporter of Death with Dignity about three years ago when I learned about Brittany Maynard’s experience. Brittany’s story especially resonated with me because I had recently lost my grandfather to a long battle with throat cancer. Learning about something that I know would have made my grandfather’s experience easier made me want to work to educate more people about Death with Dignity laws and hopefully help to bring similar legislation to Ohio one day. When I found Ohio End of Life Options online a few months ago I immediately jumped at the opportunity to work with an organization whose values so closely aligned with mine.”

Concerns about Supreme Court Nominee’s Views on End-of-Life Choices, by Mary Kuhlman, Public News Service, February 8, 2017

See the Winter 2017 Newsletter. Sections include:
∗Notes from the Executive Director, Lisa Vigil Schattinger
∗Volunteer Highlight: Roni Berenson
∗Advanced Planning with Mom featuring Janet Rowe, RN
∗A Message from the Board Chair, Susan Spinell
∗History of Northeast Ohio Organizations with Jane McCullam
∗Viewpoints: Mark Weber