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Medical Aid in Dying & Personal Agency at the End of Life with Dr. Twana Sparks
Manage episode 435326735 series 3527675
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Twana Sparks MD is a semi-retired ear, nose and throat surgeon and writer. She is a native New Mexican and 1986 graduate of the University of New Mexico Medical School.
Dr. Twana Sparks excels at oral histories mixed with scientific information. Her books on Medical Aid in Dying (2024) and Tuberculosis treatment (2013) blend the personal with the process.
She was raised in a large family in New Mexico and by age 12 she had a bucket list that included but was not limited to: become a doctor, write a book, walk across America, go around the world, and learn to surf. Due to a charmed and blessed life she got to do it all and much more including stand-up comedy, adoptive mother and grandma, music maker and a volunteer firefighter. In 2022, she began supporting those choosing medical aid in dying.
She explains the importance of terminology and the distinction between medical aid in dying, euthanasia, and suicide. She shares her role in educating patients and the public about medical aid in dying and providing support to those who choose it.
In this conversation, Twana Sparks discusses her work as a prescriber for medical aid in dying and the challenges she faces. She shares that one challenge is the repetition of the process and the need to keep each experience impactful and meaningful.
Twana also discusses the surprises she has encountered in her work, including the realization that people die how they live and the increasing interest in voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) as a way to end life.
Ping Pong Balls & Donkey's Milk: A History of Tuberculosis in Fort Bayard New Mexico by Twana Sparks MD
The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking
In Passing: Stories of Medical Aid in Dying by Twana Sparks MD
Dying Wish - the movie about VSED
The lyrics for the song are in the transcript
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