A California woman with ALS threw herself a two-day long party to say goodbye to her loved ones and ending in her assisted suicide, becoming one of the first California residents to use the state’s new doctor-assisted-suicide law for terminally ill patients, according to the Associated Press.
Betsy Davis, a 41-year-old artist with Lou Gehrig’s disease, emailed close friends and family in early June, inviting them to join her on July 23 and 24 for a two-day celebration of her life before she passed. In the invitation, she called it a “rebirth party,” and the only rule was that no one could cry in front of her.
More than 30 of Davis’s friends and relatives flew from around the country to join the festivities and support Davis in her final moments. They ate pizza, watched movies and played music.
Once guests left at the end of the weekend, Davis watched the sunset before taking various prescription drugs, as prescribed by her doctor, to end her life.
Davis’ death came soon after California became one of only four other states to legalize assisted suicide as an option for terminally ill people, despite some opposition from the public.
Davis, however, was grateful for the decision, after gradually losing control over her body functions and abilities over the past three years. Her friends understood that.
“For me and everyone who was invited, it was very challenging to consider, but there was no question that we would be there for her,” Niels Alpert, a guest at the party, told the AP.
Davis was surrounded by her caretakers, doctor and sister when she took the drugs 6:45 in the evening. Afterwards, guests agreed to meet again next June for Davis’ birthday, to scatter her ashes.
“What Betsy did gave her the most beautiful death that any person could ever wish for,” Alpert told the AP. “By taking charge, she turned her departure into a work of art.”