Robert Munsch, the beloved Canadian children’s author of books like The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, says he has been approved for medical assistance in dying (MAID) after he was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
In a New York Times profile of Munsch, the author said that he applied for MAID — a practice that was legalized in 2016 — and his application was approved.
Munsch, 80, joked to the outlet that his application said, “Hello, Doc — come kill me! How much time do I have? Fifteen seconds!”
He said he had watched one of his brothers die slowly from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and gets worse over time.
“They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, ‘Let him die,’” Munsch said.
The author said he doesn’t want to “linger that way” and added that he thinks he will choose to go “when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I’ll know.”
Under MAID laws in Canada, Munsch must be able to actively consent on the day of his death.
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“I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it,” Munsch explained to the Times.
Munsch told his wife, Ann, that if he misses the opportunity, she’s “stuck with me being a lump.”
The author, who has published more than 70 books over his career, said he doesn’t want to be here “when I can’t recognize the people I love.”
For now, he said his old stories have survived his diagnoses and remain with him.
“I notice that the stories are mostly free from the problems I have with speech,” he said.
In Canada, a person who wishes to receive MAID must meet eligibility criteria that include being at least 18 years of age, having decision-making capacity, being eligible for publicly funded health-care services and making a voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure.
The person must also have a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability, be in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability and enduring and intolerable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated under conditions the person considers acceptable.
Munsch was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1999 and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2009.
After the New York Times profile was published, Scholastic Canada shared a statement on Instagram, writing, “As proud publishers of Robert Munsch’s beloved books, we are grateful for all the stories he’s shared, including his own. We love you forever.”
“This New York Times article by Katie Engelhart offers a powerful glimpse into the man behind the stories, and we join those who have expressed profound gratitude for this chance to understand and connect with Robert Munsch in a new way,” the publishing company wrote.
“It’s an incredibly generous act to open up like this, and it reminds us, once again, why Robert’s work continues to touch many generations.”
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