This episode is the first part of the story of Gayle Garlock, a man diagnosed with Lewey Body Dementia, who legally accessed Medical Aid-in-Dying in Canada. We spoke to Gayle’s wife, Barbara, as well as Gayle’s MAiD provider, Dr. Stefanie Green. This first part of the story will focus on Gayle’s background, and the legal, clinical, and ethical challenges he faced in accessing MAiD with a dementia diagnosis. We will hear the first-hand accounts of Barbara and Dr. Green, who were present on the day of Gayle’s chosen death in 2019.

Part two, which will release in February, will include the perspective of Gayle’s son, Geoff, and will explore how Gayle’s decision has impacted him, Barbara, and the rest of their family in the years since.

The two-part piece was informed by the CBC’s report on Gayle’s story back in 2019. For another account of the story, you can listen here.

If you wish to add your voice to our podcast with a perspective on a Completed Life, whether for yourself or a loved one, please reach out to us via email at [email protected]. We welcome your submissions.

——-

Voices of the Completed Life is a podcast brought to you by the Completed Life Initiative (www.completedlife.org). Here, we share unprecedented conversations at the heart of the human experience. Each of our guests hold unique, and deeply ingrained philosophies on a life well lived. As our hosts dive into honest conversations about mortality, loss and grief, we hear first hand experiences from individuals who are grappling with what it means to live a completed life.