My Living Will

My purpose in writing this living will is to provide guidance as to my desires in the event of my illness or disability such that I become unable to manage my affairs or make known my desires and wishes for myself. To the extent possible, I assign durable power of attorney to make medical decisions on my behalf to my son, Misha. Misha has indicated that he will faithfully follow my preferences regarding my advanced directives, which are that no medical interventions be performed to prolong my life in the event of end-stage chronic illness or a cardiovascular event, serious accident, or other life- threatening situation. To this list, I would add that in no circumstances would I wish any artificial means of prolonging my life in the event of a brain injury, traumatic or otherwise. I would not want any procedure, medical intervention, or artificial form of feeding or hydration to prolong my life. I would not want dialysis for chronic kidney failure or for acute kidney failure in the setting of other life-threatening illness or injury. I would not want blood products, antibiotics or medications that are not needed for my comfort. I request appropriate comfort measures without regard to the possibility that such measure may hasten my death. If it is possible, I would much prefer to die in my own home with hospice care. However, I do not wish for my end of life care to cause undue distress for my family; therefore, if it is not practical for me to die at my home, I would like hospice care in whatever setting that I am being cared for. In addition, I accept that it is reasonable to prolong my life temporarily for a very brief period of time if doing so would allow those who love me to have a sense of closure regarding my life.

In the event that my son is not available to speak for me, I ask that the spirit of my living will be honored by any physicians or other medical providers involved in my care.