Seekers of Meaning 3/8/2024: Bill Fisher discusses Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

On this week’s episode of the Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, South Jersey resident Bill Fisher discusses his wife Carol’s terminal illness and decision to use New Jersey’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) option.

Carol had been a nationally recognized book editor until her retirement in 2016. (You can read her obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.)

Their lives took a dramatic change back in fall 2016, when Carol was diagnosed with brain cancer. Luckily Carol was able to take advantage of a clinical trial at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. She responded well to the experimental vaccine which kept her cancer in check for 7 years. Less than 10% of patients with this form of cancer ever survive this long.

However, in the past year, the Carol’s cancer re-emerged and difficult decisions needed to be considered for the final months of Carol’s life.

Luckily Carol’s faith and support from medical professionals, family and friends helped Carol and Bill navigate the difficult decisions necessary in participating in New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) program.

With a diagnosis of less than 6 months to live and diminishing functionality, Carol chose to end her life in the comfort of her own home in the presence of her family. 

Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast Now Available on Roku Streaming Service

You can add the Jewish Sacred Aging TV channel to your Roku streaming subscription by visiting this page: https://channelstore.roku.com/details/600964/jewish-sacred-aging.

You can also watch this week’s show in the player below. The shows now include closed-captioning for the deaf or people with a hearing loss. Click the “CC” button on the video player to activate closed-captions.

Listen to the Audio Podcast

You can listen to the audio podcast version in the player below, or subscribe to the podcast in one of the popular platforms by clicking one of the buttons below the player.

About the Guest

Bill Fisher

Bill Fisher is a retired real estate executive who was trained as an architect and spent most of his professional life managing the planning, design and construction of commercial, industrial and medical buildings in the mid-Atlantic and Southwest United States and London, England. He currently resides in South Jersey where he and his wife, Carol Fisher raised their two children Haddon and Lauren.

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