Yahoo Lifestyle Woman Ends Her Life After ALS Diagnosis, Chooses Medical Aid in Dying: 'I Don't Want More Time as a Patient'
“I'm not afraid of dying...I was afraid of living," 83-year-old Barbara Goodfriend said before her death in November
CBS Evening News/Youtube
Barbara GoodfriendA New Jersey woman opened up about her decision to end her life rather than live with a terminal illness.
In her final interview with CBS Evening News’ “Eye on America,” Barbara Goodfriend shared that she was diagnosed with ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, in April 2024.
ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig's disease — is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles. Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, followed by slurred speech.
According to the Mayo Clinic, because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe on their own. There's no cure for ALS, which typically claims the lives of those who are diagnosed with it within three to five years, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. However, some patients can live decades.
Courtesy of Carol Goodfriend
Barbara GoodfriendFollowing her diagnosis, doctors told Goodfriend that she may not live through fall 2024.
As the 83-year-old widow’s health quickly deteriorated, she opted for her right to medical aid in dying (MAID). It's different from euthanasia because the patients themselves administer prescribed drugs to end their lives, rather than a doctor. Euthanasia is illegal in the United States.
Goodfriend admitted that although she wasn't ready to die, living with a terminal illness seemed worse.
"What am I going to give this up for? To be in a wheelchair? To have a feeding tube? I wish I had more time to live, but I don't want more time as a patient," she told CBS correspondent Nikki Battiste. "I hope that something will get done, something will be accomplished, so that others can have the privilege that I'm having."
Courtesy of Carol Goodfriend
Barbara GoodfriendThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
The option was available to her under the MAID Act, which went into effect in New Jersey on August 1, 2019. The law allows patients with terminal illnesses to end their lives with lethal medication — without supervision of their medical team.
In addition to New Jersey, MAID laws have been authorized in California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, Colorado, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maine, and New Mexico.
Courtesy of Carol Goodfriend
Barbara Goodfriend and her daughter CarolNever miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Goodfriend said no one tried to talk her out of her decision to die. Her daughter Carol told the outlet that it was hard to support something so difficult, but said the “ultimate love” she could give was to respect her mother’s wishes.
Goodfriend spent her final day surrounded by loved ones in her bed before she died in November.
"It's been a week of family, friends. We've done a lot of crying, all of us, but we've laughed. We've enjoyed being together," she said.
"I'm not afraid of dying...I was afraid of living."
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