It was through an act of compassion that our dear friend David Carr passed away Saturday evening at the age of 82 at his home in San Rafael, CA, surrounded by a small group of friends.
David had his pacemaker turned off last Thursday with an expectation it would be his final act. It turns out that none of us are in charge of such things and David lived on. His team of friends (it takes a village) quickly shifted gears and David proceeded under the California End of Life Options Act to fulfill his end-of-life wishes.
With his pacemaker turned off, and with a very low heart rate, David’s body was failing, but his spirit remained strong and tenacious. It was an act of mercy and compassion that his physician provided the aid-in-dying drugs to bring our dear friend’s suffering to an end.
David’s last moments were filled with love and intimacy. Friends said goodbye, and there were tears, a lot of laughter, touching, hugs, kisses, and so much openheartedness it filled the room and flooded our eyes and hearts.
After David himself administered the drugs, as required by California law–and surrounded by love–it took only minutes for David to drift into a deep sleep. He was pronounced almost two hours later.
True to David’s approach to life, he donated his body to the University of California in San Francisco in hopes of this final act helping others and benefiting society.
It was David’s tenacious spirit that led him to live life on his own terms–touching so many hearts and minds around the world along the way–and it was his tenacious spirit that allowed him to move on to his next adventure on his own terms.
Our friend David is missed already.
Before David died, he published his memoir, Melting Into Sweetness: Tools for Aging Gently and Dying Gladly, co-authored by Douglas Cyr. David served as editor for many BAIPA published authors.
Before David died, he published his memoir, Melting Into Sweetness: 