Herself to the End: Facing an Alzheimer's diagnosis one courageous woman chooses to end her life by VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking) Paperback – November 20, 2025

A DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS can be a terrifying thing—A thing to be hidden, perhaps even to be ashamed of. Our fears may cause us to deny that there is a problem and therefore to forego any steps that we might take to deal with it. Herself to the End is about a courageous woman who was able to face this horrendous diagnosis and who chose to end her life in a legal way before it was too late. The book details how she reached her decision to stop eating and drinking, and the specific steps she took to achieve a peaceful and dignified death. It also presents the ways in which a committed medical team, a loving partner and friends, and a supportive community walked with her on her final journey. It is a book about what happens when things go right, and about the transformative power of love on both the patient and the community.Fran Volkmann held faculty and administrative positions at Smith College for her entire career. She married John Volkmann, and they raised two sons. After his death in 1990 she met Joan Cenedella and they became life partners for almost 30 years. Read more