The Generational Impact of ALS: The Importance of Advance Planning

Written by: Laura Taxel

Brandy Gleason’s mother, Nannette Livingston, passed away in 2019 at 56. The cause of death was ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The same disease took Brandy’s grandmother and great-grandfather. Often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease in memory of the famous New York Yankees baseball player whose career it ended in 1939, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that starts with muscle weakness and leads to loss of all motor function and ultimately complete paralysis. It is always fatal.

The Shapiro Brothers

Jeremy and Eric Shapiro are brothers. Both live and work in and around Shaker Heights, Ohio, not far from where they were born and raised. One is a doctor that treats the body, and the other works to heal the mind. They share the belief that the terminally ill should have access to medical aid in dying, making them part of a nationwide movement to rethink end-of-life care and what it should include.

Ann Schuur Opinion in Cincinnati.com April 2022

Ann Schuur Opinion contributor
Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer
Published April 20, 2022

My father took his life in November 2019. He was 83, of sound mind and terminally ill with Stage 4 cancer complicated by COPD.

Mother’s deathbed request becomes daughter Vikki’s mission.

VIDEO (4 min.): This short video combines Vikki’s experience with her mother, Betty, with information about medical aid in dying to help Ohioans understand the facts about this option. Polling shows that an overwhelming number of Ohioans, across all demographics, want an aid in dying option. Vikki’s story helps explain why.