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Karen Donley-Hayes, MAIS
West Farmington, Ohio
kdonley@bright.net

JAMA. 2006;295:2701-2702.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Ashley wasn't timid about dying. She wasn't timid about telling people she had breast cancer, or that it had spread, or that it was going to kill her—soon. She wasn't timid about seeking first hopefully curative treatment, then palliative treatment. She wasn't timid about letting her friends and family help her to manage her treatment, then help her to manage her death. She was actively involved in the entire process and recruited her family and closest friends to be participants as well. Ashley was 36 years old at the end of her life; she did not want to die; she wanted to live with an intensity that was sobering, but if she had to die, she would do it on her terms.

Because I had a background in medicine, because I was her best friend, and because I knew her better than just about anyone except her . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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ABSTRACT