![]() ![]() We won't make it to our 13th wedding anniversary. And we say, "Here's to you," a little hesitantly, instead of what we usually say, Cent'anni- "May we have 100 years," a very Italian toast. In our Swissair pods, Brian and I toast each other. And it is one of the very few places in the world to go for painless, peaceful, and legal suicide. Dignitas is a Swiss non-profit organization offering accompanied suicide. As soon as we get our beverages- in glasses- we toast my sister and brother-in-law who are paying for our business class trip to Zurich.ĭignitas's office is in Zurich, and that's where we're headed. ![]() I buy a stick of lipstick and a small tube of hand cream. We have a restaurant meal before our 6:00 PM departure. And even before Brian had Alzheimer's, our combined lack of direction adds 20 minutes to all transportation transitions. As we usually do, we take a car service to the airport so we can be fancy and also avoid the park-and-schlep. This trip to Zurich is a new, not quite normal version of something Brian and I love- traveling. Sunday, January 26, 2020, JFK International Airport. But if you are having thoughts of suicide, take all that into account before listening any further. It's called In Love- the book.Īnd- I don't know- just to say this before we start- this story is about somebody who's making the very difficult decision to end their life because of a progressive terminal disease which, of course, is very different from somebody thinking about suicide as part of a mental health crisis. It's by Amy Bloom, who has written novels and short stories over the years. So you may know this book that we're excerpting. This one, a professional comedian trying to do the best for her family. And then after the break, it gets lighter. But, also, you see them before, when he's just kind of acting oddly, and it's a little annoying, but she doesn't know why just yet.Īnd so what we're going to do today in the first part of today's show is that story. You see this couple after they realize he has Alzheimer's. Very specific people going through this thing that- honestly, for everybody I have known with dementia or Alzheimer's, I have never met anybody who made this particular choice. And what makes the book so special is that just- I don't know- the dailyness and realness of the way that his wife tells what that was like to go through.Īnd they're this interesting couple that you get to know. And so his wife looks around and finds this place in Switzerland to go to. The things that make them them get taken away, one after another.Īnd in this couple, the man, while he still had his wits about him, wanted some kind of assisted suicide before it got too late. I feel like it's like watching somebody who you love- I don't know- just drift slowly off into space. And, of course, so many of us know people with Alzheimer's. Basically, the story- there's this couple. Could we maybe just condense it down and run it on the show?Īnd so a few of us read the book, including me. And, also, it happened to be written in a way that is perfect for radio. So one of our producers read this book a few months ago, and she was like, this story is really unusual. ![]()
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