This website honors the death of Karen Margaret (Kragh) Starleaf, known in later years simply as “Starleaf.” Starleaf determined in April of 2018 that Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) was her best end-of-life option and that it was time to start the planning.
A description of her life and progress through the VSED process is provided here, as well as information useful to others who might consider the same path. As a teacher always, she would like her end-of-life planning and experiences to be useful aids to others.
Some of the people meeting her after she made the VSED decision were surprised that she was perky and animated, unlike other people they have known confronting death. She was basically a happy person making a pragmatic decision because her pains and discomforts so strongly outweighed her joys.
After notifying those closest to her, she began telling her friends and loved ones. A generic copy of the notification letter can be seen here:
A comprehensive history and listing of Starleaf’s medical status was provided to her Primary Care Physician and to the hospice palliative care specialist. Her “misery list” is presented here:
A review of how she got to her VSED decision is here:
A log of activities covering approximately the three months before beginning the VSED is in the following:
The log of activities during the fast is here:
Suggestions for planning a VSED, drawing from experience with Starleaf, are provided here:
If considerations related to dementia, one of her long-term fears, brought you to this site, please consider using these tools from Compassion and Choices to provide supplementary assistance:
Dementia Values and Priorities
Starleaf’s support team during the VSED process were her husband, Ron, and daughter, Monica. Their comments following the VSED can be found here (Ron’s Rambles) and here (Monica’s Musings).
Ron, Starleaf and Monica
Starleaf’s granddaughters, Marina and Ruby, also brought joy to her final months.
The Starleaf Women: Starleaf, Monica, Ruby and Marina
Starleaf VSED 