Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) is a widely available yet relatively unknown end-of-life choice utilized by terminally ill people throughout modern history. In this short but comprehensive guidebook, novelist Kate Christie details the steps her family took when her late mother Jane chose a peaceful death via VSED to escape the final brutal stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
In clear, concise language, Christie—a former technical writer—offers an actionable plan for anyone considering hastening their own death. Through examples drawn from her family’s experience, Christie emphasizes the importance of planning, palliative care (including medication to ease the dying process), and a broad support network. She also describes what to expect from each stage of the VSED process and highlights the challenges and unexpected gifts of accompanying her dying mother on her final journey.
As Christie notes, a peaceful death free of suffering like the one her mother achieved is possible with VSED—but only with planning, perseverance, and the support of a trusted team.
READ THE OFFICIAL EXCERPT (PDF FORMAT).
Purchasing Options
The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking is available in Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon, in Nook from Barnes & Noble, and in e-book from Apple Books.
Reviews for The VSED Handbook
[The VSED Handbook] is slim, just seventy-two pages, but packed full with helpful information. It offers both timelines and tips… Christie’s message is that dying by VSED can be successfully done but requires careful advance planning… Medical aid in dying might have been the Christie family’s choice – she says as much – if the law had allowed it for someone suffering from dementia. In the absence of such a law, this is a helpful book for those who are caught in the bind.
“Book Review: The VSED Handbook,” 2/24/23, by Susan Gillotti
https://www.patientchoices.org/book-reviews/book-review-vsed-handbook
This book offers an actionable plan emphasizing the importance of planning, palliative care and a network of support. It is a fascinating account of how one person stayed out of a memory care center. Christie also describes what to expect from each stage of the VSED process, and the highlights and challenges, and unexpected gifts of accompanying her dying mother on her final journey.
“Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking,” 3/4/23, by Martha McClellan
https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/voluntary-stopping-eating-and-drinking/
Kate emphasizes for us, dear readers, that individuals choosing to use VSED are making the choice to leave this world a little early, on their own terms, due to the reality that their illness will cause them to experience progressive losses of their selves, their personhood, their autonomy, and their dignity, and they are choosing to avoid these losses. I highly recommend The VSED Handbook to anyone interested in learning more about this end-of-life option. This book is a love story, a guide, a reality check, and ultimately, an entire tool box both for the individual who is considering using VSED and his or her loved ones.
“Book Review: The VSED Handbook,” 2/12/24, by Lynne Calkins https://endoflifechoicesca.org/category/book-review/
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