Compassion & Choices

Compassion & Choices is an incredible organization helping to educate, expand and improve end-of-life options and care for all. Thank you for your empathy and support.

I am a long-time, enthusiastic donor to this organization. They have helped many of my friend's families navigate extraordinarily difficult circumstances. I share the resources they provide to my family and neighbors; They are informative and up-to-date.
I highly recommend them.

Compassion & Choices provides invaluable resources for individuals and their loved ones to plan for a peaceful death on their own terms. They make difficult conversations surrounding death easier with their wide array of planning tools. Compassion & Choices is a wonderful organization.

Outstanding organization that effects real change to support end of life choice and bodily autonomy.

Compassion & Choices is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to navigate the end-of-life journey with dignity and autonomy. Their dedication to improving care, expanding options, and empowering individuals is truly inspiring. They are a beacon of compassion and support in the realm of end-of-life care. Thank you for what you do!

One of the standout aspects of Compassion & Choices is their commitment to education and advocacy. They provide invaluable resources and support to individuals and families, helping them navigate the complexities of end-of-life planning. Their efforts to promote policies that respect personal choice and dignity are commendable, ensuring that everyone has the right to a peaceful and self-directed end-of-life experience.

At 81 years old, end of life options and decisions have become even more important to me. Compassion & Choices not only provided me with a lot of literature and workbooks around options and care, they also provided me with one on one discussions with a terrific member of their staff. All of this comes free of charge and there was never any contribution solicitation. I truly appreciate that aspect. What a valuable organization!

I am extremely impressed with how responsive and helpful the folks at Compassion & Choices are. From the first point of contact, their team demonstrated an impressive level of commitment. The organization tackles difficult, yet vitally important, issues with professionalism and care. I have already learned a lot from their end-of-life planning resources and I appreciate their tireless advocacy.

I found their available resources very helpful. I am so thankful to have found them.

Compassion & Choices is an incredible organization helping to expand and improve end-of-life options and care for all. The staff, volunteers, and advocates are inspiring people who are dedicated to helping advance the mission of the organization. I encourage everyone to visit the Compassion & Choices website where they will find a number of resources available and can learn more about this important work.

Compassion & Choices is an amazing nonprofit that empowers individuals to make informed end-of-life decisions. The staff is caring, knowledgeable, and deeply committed to improving the quality of life for those facing difficult circumstances. I’m truly grateful for the work they do!

My dad used the dementia values tool, and I am so grateful that I know what his wishes are in advance.

I only recently came in contact with Compassion & Choices through a mutual friend whow is passionate about end of life choice. I reached out to the organization to inquire as to percentages of money spent on various programs versus administrative costs. I was pleased to have my questions answered by a friendly and knowledgeable staff member. I have not yet donated, but given my satisfaction with how responsive the organization is, I believe I will

Kind and compassionate. They helped so much with guiding us in the right direction when my grandmother was nearing end of life.

We were in an unfortunate position of needing to utilizing the resources of Compassion & Choices for a family member who had no plans in place for their end of life care. We found them to be professional and kind. We’d recommend them.

Collaborated with C&C for more than 10 years. It is a highly effective organization that is successfully transforming end-of-life care in our country, and taking medical aid in dying from the furthest fringe to mainstream acceptance and legality in some dozen states. They set clear goals, and they accomplish them through smart leadership, great staff and motivated supporters. They are highly professional and great to work with. I can't recommend them highly enough to donors or potential employees.

This is a fantastic organization. It is transforming end-of-life care in our country and providing peace of mind for folks dealing with some of the most challenging issues in their lives. They accomplish their goals through smart leadership, great staff and motivated supporters. I can't recommend their resources or services highly enough.

Compassion & Choices is a powerhouse in the end-of-life movement, having co-written and passed the very first medical aid in dying law in the country in Oregon. In recent years, they have also passed SIX more laws bringing the total number of states where aid in dying is legal to eleven. And in just the past two years, the nonprofit has launched innovative lawsuits removing the residency requirements for these laws in two states, meaning at this point, there are two states in the country (OR, VT) where anyone in the US who is eligible for aid-in-dying may access this peaceful option by traveling to those states (and no longer has to live there for six months, etc to get residency status).

In addition to this ground-breaking progress, C&C created the only online, interactive advance medical directive specifically for dementia. They are dedicated to incorporating that addendum into hospital intake procedures and establishing a legal precedent requiring healthcare facilities to honor such directives.

The staff at C&C are dedicated, innovative and tireless. I am grateful we have such a strong organization dedicated to reducing suffering at the end of life!

They are a wonderful organization to partner with. They have clear goals and great follow up. Keep doing the hard work - keep up the great job.

I spent twenty years working at Compassion & Choices. The work they do to help people manage their final days is amazing, from providing documents to use in end-of-life planning to consultants who will help people manage their final days is the best around. I will continue to support their work as long as I can. I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in this mission.

The resources provided by this organization are alone worth their weight it gold. But the personal care and attention provided by the staff go above and beyond. I will continue to fight alongside Compassion & Choices for everyone's right to a peaceful end.

My husband, who, sadly, died a year ago, and I have been supporters of Compassion and Choices since its inception. It fills a deep human need informatively and responsibly, not only educating people about end-of-life challenges and choices but also sharing the firsthand stories that make us feel less alone as we face some of the hardest moments and decisions of our lives. We should live active, giving lives, and then, when we have run out of quality of life, be able to leave with dignity and without fear and suffering. Compassion and Choices does everything it can to help make this possible. A worthy cause and organization, indeed.

I always thought I would be a good advocate for my loved one who was dying, that I knew what I needed to know, and when the time came, that wasn't the case. Take advantage of what Compassion & Choices has to teach you. Become and advocate for change. Make end-of-life a better experience for those whom you love, and one day, for you too.

My mother was ready to go for a few years before her passing in March of 2020. She had macular degeneration of the eyes and could not read, one of her passions. She also had significant hearing loss, which depressed her when she would get together with family or friends since she felt "left out." My mother was a dynamic person and I believe if she would have had the option, would have left earlier than she did. I believe Compassion & Choices is an exceptional nonprofit that is doing massively good things in the name of those who do not have a choice on how to die with dignity. I am a huge supporter!

In my 80’s I am busy “Being alive” while making sure I’m reasonably prepared for my end of life decisions and experiences. Compassion and Choices has been my Go To Resource for years - the most effective and responsive organization I know! They have supported me in documenting my Personal Wishes to add to my Advanced Directives and share with family, healthcare proxies, and physicians. I’ve accessed their wide range of resources related to all aspects of this process including key topics like Dimentia, experienced by so many of us longer-living folks. My favorite C & C “tool”is the outstanding all-inclusive book by Barbara Lee Combs FINISH STRONG! I have gifted it to dozens of people in my network! not just “old” people need to be more comfortable & realistic discussing death and dying and how best to support ourselves & each other.

I had always been a believer in Compassion and Choices but never attended a meeting until about 1 year ago. This was at the Cocoa Beach public library and the parking lot was full! I arrived late and I had to stand. The speaker had already started to talk about the process he and his wife went through from the very beginning until her death in bed after consuming "the pills"... and surrounded by her husband and friends.

You could sense the increasing tension in the audience and, I assume, a tearing in one's eyes like my own. The final questions and answers between audience and husband were geared towards further clarifications about the decision process between husband and wife and the method to achieve same. All the resultant discussion was highly respectful and sincere.

This experience only increased my motivation to not only clarify my wishes with my spouse but to similarly discuss this with friends and people generally. Subsequently, I have now established a rather small, ongoing monthly donation to Compassion and Choices.

I came to Compassion & Choices (C&C) after losing my father, mother, & sister to cancer. I was never closer to my father than in his last days, but I wished that all three of them could have had more than simply withdrawal of treatments. Since then, I have studied death with dignity procedures in other countries (I have a PhD in Human Development) & through this came to C&C. I have found their materials most helpful in developing a formal presentation & informal talks with friends on this issue, in developing published writings on it, & in writing my own last wishes regarding terminal illnesses & my quality of life. My wife also reads the C&C magazine, & having come from the Netherlands, is fully in agreement with the concept & purpose espoused in it. She too has used in in formulating her last wishes. We both plan on leaving sizable donations to C&C in our wills.

Compassion and Choices does great advocacy for helping people deal with end of life
issues and advocacy to advocate for changes in our laws to be more
humane. I especially appreciate what they do because I am part of a
group starting a natural burial cemetery and what i learn from C & C
helps me be more comfortable talking to people about end of life
choices for themselves and their love ones.
Jim Vokac
Willow Springs, MO

I am an enthusiastic supporter of Compassion & Choices and its human rights advocacy for compassionate end-of-life choices. When I became aware of Brittany Maynard's courageous support for expanding death-with-dignity laws nationwide through her campaign with Compassion & Choices, I immediately began sharing openly with family and close friends the vitally important work that Compassion & Choices is doing, and the leadership role it has taken to expand death-with-dignity laws for the benefit of all.

I spent much of my career working with patients at the end of life, and most were able to die peacefully. However, my sister suffered a very long and painful death in spite of excellent hospice care. I promised myself I’d find a way to help others find options to die with dignity at their own discretion. Compassion and Choices does just that. This organization provides invaluable information to help us navigate the challenges we face at the end of our lives, so that we and our families can say goodbye in the way we choose.

My good friend Ron Silverio was on board with Compassion and Choices as soon as his diagnosis of prostate cancer was made. Knowing that he had access to an easier, less traumatic and painful death would have eliminated much of his anxiety about his uncertain future. He had considered going to Switzerland initially, but was encouraged after attending a seminar in Kennett Square sponsored by Compassion and Choices. Ron spread the word as long as he was able, and now his wife is active in the cause in Delaware in his memory.

I am so grateful for the guidance this organization provides. I've utilized their comprehensive, thoughtfully worded checklists, toolkits and guides to come up with my own plan. I feel at ease knowing the people behind Compassion & Choices have done the legwork and thought of everything I don't even know to think of. Compassion & Choices offers an invaluable service.

Compassion and Choices provides up to date significant news about the right to die choice movement across the country. In it's monthly newsletter, it also provides excellent resources for end of life planning for individuals and families. I have used many of their resources to provide educational sessions at my CCRC in Ct. A truly valuable organization.

Compassion and Choices provides accurate, up to date, and extremely useful information about end of life options and how to access them. The organization also works tirelessly to provide additional options through legislation at the state level.

I have been volunteering with Compassion & Choices for 6 years; that they have the word "Compassion" in their title is so appropriate. They have been incredibly compassionate to me (and others) as my husband went through the Medical Aid in Dying. Their support for this legislation has been pivotal and I am deeply indebted to them.

Compassion and Choices has been at the forefront of helping to pass laws that make it possible for people to make end of life decisions when they are faced with a terminal illness. Compassion and Choices was extremely helpful in New Mexico where the last legislature passed the Elizabeth Whitfield end of life option, which allows people who are faced with a terminal illness to choose how and when to end their lives. Compassion and Choices is non profit with a wonderful mission to help people at a terrible time in their lives. I donate monthly because I believe in what they do for people at the worst stage of their life.

Thank goodness for Compassion and Choices. The organization has acted to lower much of my anxiety about end-of-life decisions. They are following the concerns that can arise and putting in place tools that provide relatively easy ways to plan ahead. Thank you C&C.

If your goal is a peaceful death, and a health issue is preventing your goal. Compassion and care are the people you need to talk with;

My husband of 59 years and 10 months, has been enduring a variety of illnesses since 2001. He’s a retired pro football player / 11 years with the Raiders. Suffered a 14 hour coma in one game, and 2 weeks later, a total broken jaw that was wired together while played 4 more games. Diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in UCLA NFL Brain Trial Study in 2012. Now has severe COPD and on O2 life support. He’s bedridden and has no short/ long term memory. Thus, I’ve chosen to embrace Compassion & Choices as his choice to ease into the Afterlife with dignity, peace and comfort. He has a terrific male, full-time caregiver of 5 years. I followed your wonderful Guide’s instructions, made a folio for each of us + copies for our 2 sons.
His physician signs the papers tomorrow. I feel reassured now about our choices, thanks so much to you. Couldn’t have done it without Compassion & Choices!
Sending you all our Blessings, Sharon

Compassion and Choices is offering people the opportunity to leave this world with dignity and without the pain and suffering that sometimes goes with the passing. The work they are accomplishing throughout the country is imperative so that people may die with dignity. The educational tools they offer are priceless and help people navigate the (sometimes uncomfortable) inevitability of death. Dying should be on OUR terms - not left in the hands of the state or federal government. Compassion and Choices lobbies for all of us in their fight for death with dignity.

As humans continue to live longer and encounter more morbidity, many are seeking alternatives to continuing to endure physically and mentally painful lives. This organization has become a central hub for discussion of such alternatives and to representing its membership before various state and federal government entities, thereby increasing awareness among many of our elected representatives.

Compassion & Choices is such a great advocate for those of us that want a choice when the time comes for how we leave this life.

This is a fabulous non-profit doing very important advocacy and educational work.
They keep supporters up to date on all their work with timely and informative emails, webinars and newsletters.
We love this organization and are happy to support it

Compassion & Choices is not only a helpful non-profit, but an important one. Although it provides information on end-of-life options to individuals, its bigger job is pushing for legislation to allow personal choice, control, and death with dignity. This huge task starts with education on an inevitable life-phase, and lifting the taboo that hovers over the subject of our own ends. An Advance Directive, made early, relieves family members from the agonizing burden of making decisions. C&C is working to increase end-of-life options in all states

Compassion & Choices is a wonderful organization that my parents introduced me to many, many years ago. In turn, my children have grown up knowing about it as well. This isn't about just ending life; it is about preparing to get the ending you want and deserve. It is about being prepared, and C&C gives us the health directives and all the information we need to make the best-informed decisions.

Our family has watched Compassion&Choices grow and discover new ways to help all kinds of people and difficult situations. Also, C and C makes it easy to see how donations are used. They use money wisely

Our family has always supported C&C because they are helpful to such a wide variety of problems regarding approaching death. All generations in our family are involved.

I am involved in more than one organization associated with medical aid in dying and this one (Compassionate Choices) not only "talks the talk" (education) but they are the only one that I have seen, to also "walk the walk." They worked hard to coordinate with their base for REAL policy change! The organizer from our state of NM was extremely communicative and helped organize in a meaningful way for the adoption historic legislation...and they continue to remain involved in the development of services now. So, five stars :)

Funeral Consumers Alliance - end-of-life planning brings one to the subject of funerals. Again so many choices, Never fear, help is at hand! The advocacy organization Funeral Consumers Alliance can guide you with information about the General Price List (GPL), the ways to evaluate costs to fit your wishes and budget. The web site spells out options on donation, cremation, direct burial and home funerals. Each State has its own rules and the funeral industry is rapidly changing. This watchdog organization with its many affiliates can aid you in finding meaningful, affordable final rites. I found this group in a time of need, used it, became active and ended up its President.

My high regard for C&C dates back to 2008, when my beloved mate was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease. He found C&C to be a valuable source of medical information and emotional support during his last several months. Upon his death in 2009, I became a C&C advocate for terminally ill individuals to have the right to choose to die a peaceful death. Such choice means they understand and can access the full range of end of life options, including medical aid in dying. C&C's expert legal defense team was pivotal to a Montana Supreme Court ruling in favor of a dying adult's right to access medical aid in dying. C&C has since offered health care professionals and citizens across the state reliable and useful end of life information. C&C's legislative efforts in Montana have included the organizing of multiple citizen-based legislative lobbying efforts to uphold the Supreme Court's ruling. So far, we have been successful at preventing powerful anti-choice lobby groups from enacting a law prohibiting medical aid in dying. My eternal gratitude to C&C, for helping our society offer more compassionate end of life care.

Terrific organization that lives up to its name literally -- a nonprofit that is filled with compassion and dedicated to giving us all important choices at a difficult time in our lives.

In 2018 my mother used Medical Aid In Dying (MAID) in California to end her intolerable and uncontrollable pain and suffering from terminal breast cancer that had gone to her bones, liver, and lungs. She was within days of dying the horrible death she knew was coming and desperately wished to avoid. Thanks to MAID, my mother died a peaceful death held by her closest family members.

Compassion & Choices was the key to my mother and our family learning about the existence of the California End of Life Option Act. Her doctors certainly did not offer the information at any time during her long and difficult fight for more time with us.

Compassion & Choices is doing the hard work of advocacy and education around all end of life options in a culture where talking about death itself is taboo. But they don't just advocate and educate about Medical Aid In Dying. They do so much more in terms of educating patients and families about all options when it comes to end of life care planning.

Since my mother's death, I've learned so much more about Compassion & Choices and the people from all walks of life who work tirelessly to advocate for improving end of life care planning, expanding options, and empowering patients to plan according to their own values.

Not only did my family benefit from the vital work Compassion & Choices is doing, but clients in my private practice who are dealing with end of life decision-making gain valuable information when they visit the Compassion & Choices website. Patient education is key to making decisions based on values.

Compassion & Choices is a phenomenal group of dedicated people doing crucial work for all of us in terms of end of life options care planning.

I am so thankful for Compassion & Choices! I have always believed in an individual’s right to end their life on their own terms based on their personal values and beliefs! Using the tools such as the End of Life Planning Guide and the Dementia tool has given me the peace of knowing that my wishes are known in great detail! As a volunteer for C & C, I had the great opportunity to speak to a number of groups about C & C and End of Life Options. While Covid has kind of put a damper on those kinds of Community Education events for me personally, I hope to be back in the saddle again soon! This is truly a fantastic organization!

Compassion and Choices helps many family and friends to understand the wishes of people in end of life care. Volunteers are willing to help, and members are assisted in helping with needs and resources. Great organization!

Compassion and Choices has brought education and advocacy to my area, leading to more open conversations for lots of people. The talks they sponsor are really well done! I like that the focus is on end of life planning and choices - not just the Medical Aid in Dying issue.

One of the few items that will happen to all people walking this earth, is that their time, like mine, will come to an end. Compassion and Choices understands that this time is exceptionally precious and affording people the right to determine how they want to manage this period in their life, is critical. We celebrate freedom, liberty and independence in the U.S.; affording every U.S. citizen the freedom, liberty and independence to make the final decision in their lives, is critical. C&C works tirelessly every day to make sure that every person in the U.S. will have the freedom to make this decision on their own terms. Their work is not only selfless, but most honorable.

Extremely well-run non-profit.
Leadership is intelligent, articulate and devoted to the cause.

C&c believes in addressing end of life and planning for end of life. Everyone lives & dies. I am proud to be involved in addressing this issue and hoping that most of us will recognize how vital it is to face this A well organized and well run group.

I am always so proud to serve on the Board of Directors of Compassion & Choices; I continue to be amazed by the breadth and depth of their work. Within weeks of the pandemic hitting the world, C&C had created an extensive Covid-19 toolkit (even including a Covid 19 specific addendum to add to one's Advanced Directive) and made it available to all free of charge. Their "Staying Stronger Together" webinar series brings medical and health experts, policy makers and storytellers directly to you with resources to help inform one's decision-making process around end-of-life issues. Their planning guides impart much needed information I've not found consolidated elsewhere.

When it comes to advocating for end-of-life options, there's no better organization. Not only have they been a leader in authorizing medical aid-in-dying in the 10 jurisdictions, they remain actively engaged to ensure that the laws are implemented, practiced, and accessible to all. This is the organization to know if you want to make certain that you choose end-of-life care that reflects your values, priorities and beliefs.

I have worked with and supported Compassion & Choices for 20 years. Their mission is absolutely essential to creating and maintaining a world in which we all can make informed, humane healthcare choices. And everyone I know personally at C&C is a fine exemplar of that mission. The call for merciful end-of-life care is vital. And Compassion & Choices answers it,

Twenty three years ago, I first became aware of the possibility of Medical Aid in Dying, and
have watched its gradual evolution and acceptance ever since, until today so many people
look to Hospices as a sensible way to ease one's way out of this world, when one's time comes.
It is in these more recent years, that Compassion and Choices has taken Front and Foremost
in its Leadership in this effort, with offices on both Coasts, Portland, OR, and Washington, DC,
working strongly with different State Legislatures towards legalization of their efforts.

I didn’t want to discuss the subject of dying - mine or my beloved brother and sister-in-law. But they invited me to hear a presentation by Compassion & Choices. After hearing about their mission and engaging in the conversation with my brother and his wife I realized it all made sense. This subject is of primary important to everyone. Discovering what limits current laws place on our choices was shocking; learning that with my help laws can be changed to enable me and my loved ones to die with serenity and dignity, reassured that our wishes will be respected by our care givers was very comforting.

Compassion and Choices is important because it promotes giving an individual in hospice an opportunity to choose to end the suffering at the inevitable final time of life. I heard a number of supporters speak at a legislative hearing; they were so respectful of everyone's views and truthful about their motivation for helping to craft Medical Aid and Dying bills.

Each person should have the option of making end of life choices. C & C is working to make this option come true in all 50 States.

It's important to break the taboo around talking about the last chapter of our lives. I am so happy to find that Compassion and Choices promotes education around death and dying that is empowering to patients and providers both. I like that they are active both in the public and in terms of policy. Better choices at the end of our lives is something that affects everyone and this non-profit does a great job of promoting these choices.

As my father nears the end of the road, it is comforting to know that C&C is there to advocate for his dignity and choice. I am proud to make this contribution.

Compassion and Choices has worked for decades to pass and protect critically important medical aid-in-dying laws in multiple states. At the same time they have developed great tools to help individuals plan for and express their wishes for end of life care, including state-specific information. Their information and tools are easily accessible on their website free of charge, including new tools related to dementia. They fill the void in a culture that remains so adverse to having these important discussions.

I volunteered to testify for C & C against a bill criminalizing death with dignity in a recent legislative session. Their executives, lobbyists and the other volunteers were inspiring! They were passionate, dedicated and very organized. Every volunteer had the opportunity to ask questions of their staff and get additional information. I learned so much more about C&C than I knew previously and the information was presented in a way that was never preach-y, always kind and so helpful. I was really impressed with the resources that were available for anyone involved with end-of-life-issues, not just death with dignity. Great staff, great volunteers.

I’ve been involved with Compassion & Choices as a donor & volunteer for many years and have seen the positive results of their work first-hand.

C&C is an extremely well-run organization with a long track record of driving real systemic change and positively impacting the lives of countless families.

I highly recommend that anyone with interest in end-of-life care check out their website and social media, sign up for their newsletters, or attend an event. In addition to donating, there are many ways to get involved and learn more about this important work!
https://compassionandchoices.org/

C&C gets maximum bang for the donor buck, consistently exceeding its ambitious goals for getting results that empower patient choice and expands the crucially important availability of medical aid in dying.

I have stage four lung cancer. I worked with Compassion & Choices as a speaker and a canvasser to pass our bill in Colorado. I loved and admired the people I worked with and I believe our work is the most important work I have ever done.

I am expected now to live less than six months and I have started the procedure to request the pill. I am so grateful I will have the benefit to exercise my own will thanks to C&C, Amy and all the leaders of the movement. Hurrah for us!! Patti James

They are doing a great job in trying to get Medical Aid in Dying legalized in all states. They do a lot more than that by helping people learn about the many options related to end-of-life concerns. But, my focus is My Life, My Death, My Choice. I should be able to choose how and when I want to die if I meet the very strict criteria before a life-ending prescription can be written. Compassion & Choices is the one major organization fighting for this right.

In the year 2015 my best friend died of cancer. Harry would have chosen to have control over the end of his life. It was very difficult to watch someone you love not die gently,painless at home. He was suffering and I felt powerless. Hospice came but could not always help with his pain.
I looked on line found the organization Compassion and Choices. They believe as Harry did and I do we should have an option. This organization has made a difference in my life working to pass a law Medical Aid in Dying Act is one.

David Allan. Compassion&Choices Volunteer.
I have volunteered for Compassion and Choices for some time now and have no reservations commending their tireless ongoing effort to improve all aspects of end-of-life care for those dying of an incurable illness. I particularly support their historic advocacy for those eligible patients who freely choose to avail themselves of the California End-Of-Life-Option by requesting a prescription from a supportive physician to end their dying process in a peaceful, humane and dignified manner. I spent forty-three years as a registered nurse and too often witnessed and participated in the delivery of futile aggressive medical care to those at the end of life. The reasons why this occurs so often are multiple and complex, but major factors are the medical profession and our society are woefully unprepared to confront our mortality and paradoxically this can lead to much unnecessary suffering at the end of life. It is this area that Compassion and Choices excels through education, advocacy, and outreach to medical professionals, lawmakers, journalists, healthcare systems and hospices, and particularly the general public. Through these efforts, gains are being made in preparing all of us to better meet the needs of those at the end of life. As a volunteer, I find Compassion and Choices well managed, organized and very supportive of its volunteers by providing multiple resources in order to achieve its goals. I also commend them for their vigorous defense of the California End-Of-Life Option against legal challenges brought by opponents of an eligible patient’s right to self-determine how they pass from life based on their own values, beliefs, and ethics. Paraphrasing one author, “ It is one thing to say - I don’t believe in medical-aid-in-dying and I would never choose it for myself, and quite another to say - I don’t believe in medical-aid-in-dying and no-one else should be allowed, those who participate should be criminally prosecuted.” The first statement is acceptable, the second is not. There is only one stakeholder that matters in this whole debate, and that is the eligible dying person and their beliefs, values, and wishes.

Compassion and choices is a leader in explaining to the community the end of life options act. This amazing group has allowed my family and friends to understand this law and how we can make our life’s journey so much more meaningful. Compassion and Choices has helped bring dignity and education to our community each and every day. I’m so grateful to this progressive and thoughtful group. I’m proud to be a supporter.

Even though Compassion & Choices has a long history of providing people with information and resources around end-of-life care, I see its work today in a much broader context: to transform the dynamic between patients and doctors so that patients have the deciding voice in their healthcare decisions and treatments.

As a national board member, I am impressed with the thoughtfulness and thoroughness that informs the work of this organization.

I am so grateful for the leadership and dedication Compassion & Choices brings to those of us who volunteer to help pass legislation to guarantee every citizen a broad range of end-of-life options. Without their leadership, I'm not sure how we could hope to achieve our goals. It takes more than a few concerned citizens scattered across a region to get organized and to engage more citizens in this worthy cause. Compassion & Choices provides that kind of leadership.

My experience with Compassion and Choices has been eye-opening. Aside from the fight they are fighting to make medical aid in dying legal in states, the organization’s empathy and compassion is its keystone. The Leadership, Board, and Committees are committed to the end-of-life journey. It is a delicate subject. C&C does this in a very refined way that the end-of-life decision is very personal and an individual option. As a volunteer with C&C, I have talked with so many people in the country who support this law and want it in their state. C&C is working hard for this and I salute their never-ending commitment.

As an old guy and a physician, I am not afraid of being dead but I am very afraid of the process of dying, of the risk dying slowly and being in great pain for weeks or months. That's why I feel that C&C's cause, medical aid in dying for people who are in that fix, and who want help, is a very, very, important cause.

Compassion & Choices provided vital assistance to me when my mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s. She desperately wanted to avoid spending 10 years of slowly deteriorating to a near vegetative state, the horrible fate she had witnessed in her father. With help from C&C, she was able to pass on her own terms and with dignity--and most importantly, legally, without putting any of her loved ones at risk.

I am incredibly grateful that there is an organization like C&C fighting for and helping people to have rightful control of their own lives at the end of life.

There's no group more compassionate than Compassion & Choices. They were not only helpful to my husband who was dying of CA, but extremely compassionate to me too.
After he died, I heard from the CEO who suggested I call if I have the need to speak with someone in the organization. The people are ALL kind and helpful. I would certainly recommend them to people in need of help whether suffering unbearable pain or wanting to know about services and how to plan.

The fact that Oregon's Death With Dignity Law, the first in the country, has worked so beautifully is because Compassion & Choices has been there to make sure it did. We've done it right, and this organization has made it happen.

Barbara Roberts

Volunteering can feel like undervalued work -- but not at Compassion and Choices. Thoughtful training, a super-appreciative staff and meaningful work made all the difference when I came on as a volunteer. This is an organization that recognizes the importance of its supporters and volunteers, and does everything possible to help us give them our best.

I've encountered many compassionate people in the organization who were very helpful.
I'm a cancer patient with concerns. I was given written information as well as many helpful websites. I even got a website for doctors and pharmacists who may require advice.

I can't think of a more deserving organization than Compassionate and Choices to be on your list. I still have cancer, but no longer have questions or fears thanks to the wonderful people at Compassion and Choices.

Wolf Breiman

First I believe this is a not-for-profit that affects everyone. Everyone will die at some point
Their Mission of supporting and educating and advocating runs deep Believing that everyone has the choice to make a decision at the end of their life
Compassion and Choices has grown substantially and is becoming well-known and well viewed It is egalitarian it is open to all The staff is very professional...well run and well-versed

My adult life's work has been as a hands on philanthropist. I have been involved with Compassion & Choices since its inception and have found it to be one of the most effective, dedicated organizations I have had the privilege of supporting. They have spread the movement for compassionate choices at life's end in remarkable ways throughout the nation and beyond via both legal and educational means as well as providing direct services to individuals and families in dire need of their services.. Of the literally hundreds of 501c3s I have supported in my 82 years, there is not one I feel more deserving of being called a GreatNonProfit than Compassion & Choices.

The national volunteer program manager has been very responsive and helpful. The whole organization is truly strong in their beliefs in what they think could be accomplished for the whole country.

While living in Washington DC more than 20 years ago I received a call from my dad, who lived in Oregon with my mother. He normally never called, leaving the long-distance chats to my mother, so I knew something was very wrong. Tersely he told me my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She wasn't ready to talk to me at that moment but she would call me soon. A couple of days later she called. We talked and she told me she was going to fight it all the way, that she was willing to be a guinea pig for research and that she was feeling strong. She then ended the call with words I have never forgotten. She said, "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of the process of dying."

Four years later she had fought the good fight, had been a guinea pig for research, had done experimental treatments at both NIH and Cleveland Clinic, and nothing had changed the outcome. She was dying. She knew it and she wanted control over the remaining days of her life.

As my family frantically tried to make sense of her inevitable death and I web-searched late into the night looking for answers, I found Compassion and Choices. Within a week they had worked with her and her doctors to arrange for her to take control of the end of her life. She followed all the steps and her signature was on the appropriate paperwork. It was unrecognizable, bearing no resemblance to the tidy finishing-school signature of her past, but it was there and with it came some serenity. She felt as if she had been able to do one thing where she was calling the shots. She would get to choose how and when the end would be. As she signed it, she told us she might never use it, but it gave her the option should she choose.

In the end, she never had a chance to make that decision. She went downhill too fast in those last weeks, but I know during her remaining alert hours she had some small sense that she was managing her destiny. She died at home with her family around her and I have never forgotten how much it meant to her to have that option. Compassion and Choices has often said the right to choose dignity in death is like an insurance policy. Many people never end up using it, but what it provides is a choice that allows those at end of life who have lost so much dignity and control over their daily existence to feel they can control one small but immeasurably significant part of their life. To that end, I have decided not only to support Compassion and Choices on a yearly basis, but to bequeath a sum to the organization in my will. I hope you will consider doing the same.

I have been a donor to Compassion and Choices since 2011 and now I am also a volunteer. I feel that the advances Compassion and Choices has made in encouraging medical care for the terminally ill, and in making the Right to Die legal in California and other states, are important to our continuing comfort. I plan to continue to contribute financially and actively to support their success. In my Trust, I have left a large portion of my estate to Compassion and Choices to encourage the wonderful work they are doing and all the things that they are achieving.

Compassion & Choices is doing incredible work to make medical aid in dying accessible for all. This important work is sometimes poorly understood by the general public, but C&C shares impactful stories and helps educate Americans about this issue. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, medical aid in dying will become an increasingly important question for millions of Americans. C&C is at the forefront. Anyone who cares about this issue should consider supporting Compassion & Choices.

I have been involved with this nonprofit for many years, starting in the early 90s as a member and donor (when the organization had a different name) . In 2011 I began volunteering for Compassion & Choices and it was then that I was able to truly appreciate the value of what this organization does. The mission of this dedicated group of people is to provide the option for a dignified, physician-assisted death for terminally ill individuals, and to give them autonomy and decreased suffering at the end of life. They believe, and I strongly agree, that this choice is a basic human right that should be available to all Americans. They have been successful in making this a reality in several states and are striving to add more states where this humane and compassionate practice is legal. They have also taken up the important cause of preventing unwanted medical treatment, which occurs all too often.

Compassion & Choices should definitely be recognized as a top-rated nonprofit!

Susan Woods
Portland, Oregon

Having been a Clinical Social Worker for 40 years and as a clergy wife of an Episcopal Priest for almost 50 years, I have had a lot of experience with the terminally the ill. Aid in Dying is a tricky issue, one many people find distasteful. As a Client Service Volunteer for the past 7 years I can tell you that this organization has the highest ethical standards and provides a variety of services to terminally ill people.
Here in Oregon, where we have had 20yrs of experience helping terminally ill patients acquire and take a lethal dose of medication that will end their suffering and their life, the question of choosing death over suffering is legal, well documented, and a relief to both patients and their families. It has been an honor to be present at over 80 deaths.
But C & C is so much more than just providing services for the terminally ill. It is in the forefront of the movement to make this compassionate end available in all states, to all who qualify and want a peaceful end. Our volunteers in states without the law advocate, educate, and support people who are looking for the security of knowing that if their suffering becomes too great they have the legal right to end their life.
I am proud to be part of this movement and this organization.
Betsy Moss, Eugene, Oregon

If we stand by and watch the pain unfold in a persons life and do nothing about it; then thats our stand.
C&C has rallied a call for Action and I so wish there was such a group I could've offered to a dear friend of mine who had dnr directives in place and ended up 9 weeks starving to death on morphine patches all alone in his apartment controlled by a home hospice who checked in on him daily then left him alone. My Dad didn't know the option of choosing death. Instead he suffered for years declining from liver cancer which finally he gave into. Horrible stories of family members and friends are numerous. My own call to Action is moving terminally ill adults to any state they want to go to regardless of finances or what reasons they have for the move. Movemehome@gmail.com

Compassion and Choices is a great nonprofit that helps everyone all over the US. With it's great work they are doing, they are achieving and educating the consumers, nurses and doctors. Being able to learn your options and having the choice is very important.

I have donated to C and C for the last 13 years. Their work matters and they do such much with a limited budget. Advocating for choice at the end of life is not an easy topic and therefore raising money to do the important work is not easy.
I have known my donations will be used well advocating and supporting patients and families on those tough end of life decisions.

Compassion & Choices is a superior non-profit: well-organized, effective and competent in all those critical areas that make a donor want to give and give.

This organization has been at the forefront for years in teaching folks how to prepare for dying: Advance Directives, withholding invasive treatments where the side effects are sometimes worse than the illness, supporting terminally ill people, and providing consul to folks at the end of their lives. More recently, they have been very active in the legislative side of the right-to-die using medically prescribed drugs. This is an idea whose time has come...and I'M ALL FOR IT. And if someone is not "for it"....that's fine too...but legally we should have a choice. This organization is helpful for anyone who will eventually die...all others should put their money into saving the planet....no sense living forever if the earth doesn't go along with the program!

These dedicated people are simply amazing. The subject of Compassion and Choices makes it somewhat difficult to speak to certain people. Yet they have a staff to handle everything including reluctant family members, who may want to put off speaking about death with dignity. I have been observing for several years. I have raised money for them. I speak out to those who may not know about this organization. And they have helped me. They have wonderful councilors and talking to them is free. As the population ages and medical policies change it is more important than ever for people to think ahead. Compassion and Choices is as good as it's name. It helps people make and keep choices and they do this with great compassion. They are growing and becoming more effective as more and more people learn about them. I want to help them in any way that I can.

When my mother was at the end of her life, the doctor could not give her pills she could take for a peaceful death with her family gathered around her. Instead, we had to suffer with her for several weeks as she starved herself to death. And as it turned out, I was not able to be at her bedside when she died.
I am therefore very hopeful that the District of Columbia Council will soon pass a Death With Dignity Bill, so that if I or my husband should find ourselves in a similar situation, two doctors could give us pills with which to end our lives, with our children around us.
Because we feel so strongly about this issue, we are enthusiastic supporters of Compassion & Choices and its work to make a dignified death possible. I'm proud to give this organization a top rating as a Great Non-Profit!
Sarah G Epstein
Washington DC

Compassion and Choices is a powerful non-profit offering advocacy, education, and support to people at the end of their lives. The goal of the organization is to educate, consumers, medical personal, medical entities like hospitals, insurance companies, Hospices, and legislators about Medical Aid in Dying which has been legal in Oregon since 1997.
They also provide direct support to the dying, their families, and their medical providers. In every state in the country. They are an advocacy group that has worked hard to pass Medical Aid in Dying in Oregon, Washington State, Montana, Vermont, California, and are on the ballot in Colorado.
As a national organization they are second to none in utilizing their donations to the maximum. It always amazes me what so few people can accomplish with so little! I nominate them as an outstanding non-profit!!!

This charity supports a cause I believe in. I have been a supporter of Death with Dignity bills for many years.

A very responsible organization that provides valuable information and forthright advocacy for an important cause.

I learned of Compassion and Choices by name from a close friend's daughter who represented it in California. I of course knew of the much needed assisted-dying options legally in progress or process in some states, but had no idea of the vast resource and personal consultant aid this remarkable organization also offers. (For example the two C and C -initiated Directive Forms regarding dementia and end-of-life measures,"My Particular Wishes," which you can add to your Advance Directive.) The free service of a personal voice and name "there" for you --during the challenging terminal stage of life--is simply beyond superlatives. As someone with a hospice background, I am proud to support and heartily recommend this nonprofit. Susan Barry, Horseshoe Bay, TX

Shortly after my Mom- 90, a California resident, emailed ( with child like spellings)from 3,000 miles away(New England) to say she felt like her head had opened up and everything she ever knew had flown out of it, that she was in big trouble and did not know what to do,(she ALWAYS knew what to do) she started asking for help to end her life.
She was an extremely competent, confident ,accomplished person whose entire self identity and worth was experiencing herself as a competent contributing person.
In our search for information and help, my brother and I first connected to Compassion and Choices in Washington state where he lives.
They were helpful compassionate listeners , sharing information but not pushing an agenda other than to answer our questions and suggest resources.
As we traveled along with Mom on her journey of diminished cognitive ability she never stopped realizing what was happening to her or begging for help to choose her exit time.
She was emphatic that she did not want to be at the point of "wetting the bed and not recognizing her own children". In the end at age 92 (and under hospice care) she was 'saved' from this outcome by a a diminishing heart rate that allowed her to be spared from the longer decline into loss of her own identity and self that dementia suffers can experience.
In honor of her life (and lack of choice at its end) I have been a supporter of Compassion and Choices. They are doing a remarkable job of educating people and working on legislation to give people the choices for death with dignity that are wanted.
I have found CC to be excellent at keeping donors informed of what is happening. I do not feel that they hit me up for donations each time I make one as with some organizations but rather that we are on a mutual journey to accomplish introduction of legislation and passage of choices for people if they want /need them during the last chapter of their lives. California's new law was not in time for my Mom but I celebrate it on her behalf and look for more states to offer compassion and choice including my own.

The people in this organization are very bright, passionate, and compassionate. I've worked with many non-profits, and none compare to the group of people who make up Compassion & Choices....they are so helpful, go out of their way to appreciate volunteers, donors, and handle inquiries brilliantly. Seriously, don't give it another thought....they are the best at what they do, are responsible and dedicated. They set a very high bar for any other non-profit. Joan Hoberman

C&C is a tremendously successful lobbying organization. It deserves most of the credit for getting death-with-dignity legislation enacted in California last year - in a special session of the legislature, bypassing all committees. I am a California lawyer and had judged this feat to be impossible. Barbara Combs-Lee, the president, and Dan Diaz are truly extraordinary spokespersons.

I cannot share this group's enthusiasm for death. There are too many people in this world who need encouragement to live, not to kill themselves.

I learned about this organization when I was looking for a group that deals with my concerns about having a choice about how I might die. I have had many exchanges with the staff , and I have started working with a group in Clearwater FL. I think these issues are extremely important, and I like the thoughtful, caring way this organization approaches them.

I learned about this organization thru one of its staff--Jared Hughes. As a result of his sincere and knowledgeable presentation of the facts surrounding one's choices over end of life issues, I was blown away and quite overcome with enthusiasm for the mission of this distinguished group. I will never again look at end of life in the way that I did before. Now, when I meet others who are wrestling with similar issues, I point them to your website and repeat what I learned from Jared--with the utmost conviction in my heart. Yours is a vital and critically important organization--I'm so glad that you exist.

I first got involved with Compassion & Choices (then Compassion In Dying) when my mom was ill, about 10 years ago. I was so impressed with the support she received that I decided to volunteer on the local board, where I am now co-chair of the board.

My first introduction to the board members of Compassion and Choices of Northern California was most impressive. Having served on boards where the sole function was fund-raising and their sole goal was to have good times raising those funds...I immediately knew that C&C was different.
Not only the doctors on the board, but the health professionals and people (like myself) with no letters after their names, were deeply passionate about the cause. Their goal was to actually help people in distress (free of charge) as well as to spread the word that help was available, and one didn't have to die a painful, undignified, horrible death.
I saw that happen with my parents and I realize the unnecessary agony they endured. How wonderful that end-of-life choice is today a reality, and available to so many who would otherwise suffer needlessly.

I counsel clients of Compassion & Choices. They are self referred to the local chapter. I engage clients to explore their choices for medical care when they know they have only a few months to live. Their legal options include some that are not normally discussed by Hospice or their physician. I join my fellow volunteers on monthly phone conferences where politics, the law, and state and federal legislation is clarified. My only role in the Compassion and Choices organization is to promote autonomy and liberty for personal choices of medical care at the end of life.

My "honest and candid" experience has been nothing but positive. I'm uncertain exactly how we came in contact with Compassion & Choices. But I am certain it was a great thing that we did. Very few organizations are able to combine on the ground assistance to individuals and families in time of needs with pressing a legislative agenda and on the ground grass roots organizing. Somehow C & C manages all these things, with grace, punch and political savvy. They were helpful to me personally as my father was dying, and have been helpful in providing clear leadership in the step by step process of helping to bring ordinary folks and legislatures to understand the importance of being permitted to die with dignity. Several of my closest friends have gone through drawn out, terminal, end-of-lives. Some were lucky enough to have persons and family to help them make choices and have the ability to carry them out. Others were not so lucky, and suffered pain, indignity, and the misfortune of being trapped in hospitals when all they wished for was to die at home in the company of friends and family and with the comforts of a lifetime of nesting around them. Compassion fights at all levels to help people handle what is perhaps the most difficult time they will face. I give them every star I am permitted to give, and more.

When I raise the subject among friends about personal choice in dying, there is broad agreement that they would like to have control of their death. Since my training as a Compassion & Choices volunteer I have had excellent support from the professional team in being informed before visiting a client and throughout the process of supporting the client. I am pleased that Washington State has followed the Oregon model and am hopeful that my state, Florida will begin to see the light.

I was so pleased to be introduced to this organization who are effectively and efficiently dealing with an issue so dear to my heart. Contributing to this organisation, with both time and money, is one of the most rewarding things in my life. Compassion & Choices are the one organisation that advocates for individual autonomy and dignity through choices at the end of life AND for changes to the law across the country to increase the information and choices available to patients. My grandmother was able to make her own decisions regarding her death from cancer, and she died on her own terms at home with her family around her - it was truly a good death and one I wish everyone could emulate. C&C works to empower patients so that the medical system is more helpful and responsive to the dying. When someone is terminally ill it is an immense comfort to them (and their loved ones) to know that they can make the important decisions about the end of their life.

Thirty five years ago, when my parents were in their 60s, they wrote their first advanced directives. Every time we visited, they spoke passionately about their wishes not to be kept alive after quality of life was gone, nor to have money spent that could be used to help people in need. Now I’m in my 60s and I can see that many people still don’t have the opportunity to die peacefully and in the manner of their choosing. I’m grateful for Compassion & Choices’ commitment to keep this conversation alive until every state provides for end-of-life dignity.

Finding Compassion & Choices when my mother was diagnosed with late stage Ovarian Cancer was literally a life saver. Both my parents loved life, lived it fully, and always made clear that when they could no longer do so,they wanted to die with dignity. The counseling services and support we received were phenomenal. Once my mother knew that her end-of-life decisions could be honored, she lived the last months of her life with the same spirit and zest that characterized her. After she died, there was no question in my mind that I would work with Compassion and Choices to ensure that we can all have that same freedom of mind and heart at the end of life.

Friends sometimes ask me how I can work with clients who are dying. Isn't it difficult? Depressing? Here's my answer: I've been a volunteer with Compassion and Choices for more than four years and find it enriching, important work. Supporting patients and their families at a critical time is rewarding. One of my clients, S., diagnosed with terminal cancer ,wrote the following after finding Compassion and Choices: "I now have the knowledge that I don't have to suffer, and that information is enough to give me a new life. I simply needed to know that I could have control over my life." He died peacefully 20 months later. Whether it's assisting someone to complete an Advance Directive, talk to a doctor about end-of-life wishes, find a hospice, or just to be there to help a client make sense of the dying process, I find my work for Compassion and Choices deeply satisfying.

Compassion & Choices is THE national end-of-life choices organization. I have been a donor for many years and continue to be impressed with the creative and excellent work of the organization. C&C uses every tool possible to get its message of choice to the public, government officials and its members. This last year alone they passed a law in California, won a court case in Montana and passed a ballot measure in the state of Washington. On the client side, the care is supportive and responsive. C&C has helped pave the way for people across the country to know and exercise their choices at the end of life.

C&C has had a remarkable track record of success in helping patients, educating legislators, press and the public, and pushing for legislation that will permit Aid-in-Dying. The Washington victory this past November is a wonderful step forward, and supporters should feel very confident their contributions are being very well used.