Mae Magouirk has passed away

Mae Magouirk died of a stroke today (Monday, May 16th, 2005). According to news reports and communications from her nephew, she had been doing very well until last Wednesday and was fed, hydrated, awake and talking until the day she died.

After her ordeal of being denied food and water in opposition to her written instructions in her living will, Mae Magouirk had been moved from hospice to a hospital. There she was rehydrated and successfully received treatment for her aortic dissection. She was recovering well and had been moved to a nursing home, and her family had hoped to take her home soon.

Because of intervention by her nephew and others, Mae and her family enjoyed several weeks of time with her where she was lucid, able to communicate and enjoying life--weeks that would have been denied to her if the granddaughter and doctors had succeeded in dehydrating her as planned. I imagine that to Mae and her family, those few weeks of life were invaluable. That time allowed family and friends who had not seen her for some time, as well as those who were close to her, to spend time with her and create memories before she died.

She died of a stroke, not of dehydration--and she died surrounded by loved ones.