Reflections: A Conversation about Choice at End of Life

Join CurePSP and Mission MSA for a sensitive conversation about Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), an end-of-life option that people living with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) may consider. The session will feature a presentation by Lonny Shavelson, MD, and Thailia DeWolf, RN, CHPN, from the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine, followed by a panel discussion. The panel will include former care partners of individuals with PSP and MSA, who will share their personal experiences and perspectives. This webinar is intended to provide general information and foster thoughtful discussion. It does not promote or recommend any specific decisions or actions.

REGISTER

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Shavelson is an aid-in-dying physician, a founder the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine, and a national leader in the field. He has written widely on aid-in-dying clinical care and contributed to amicus briefs in landmark court cases. As the Academy’s Director of Education, he leads programs that train clinicians, mentor providers, and advance evidence-based aid-in-dying practice through data collection and analysis. In his prior career, Shavelson worked as a journalist and documentary filmmaker reporting for newspapers, magazines, and public radio (www.photowords.com).

Thalia DeWolf, RN, is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse in Northern California with extensive experience in end-of-life care. She has provided bedside support to hundreds of aid-in-dying patients, both in hospice and palliative care settings and as lead nurse for a private practice. Her experiences inspired her to challenge restrictive policies and advocate for compassionate, patient-centered care. She is passionate about educating and supporting nurses and frontline staff who deliver hands-on care to seriously ill and dying patients. 

Casey Scieszka lives in the mountains where she runs the Spruceton Inn: a Catskills Bed & Bar. Her debut novel THE FOUNTAIN just came out with Harper this spring and was a Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Book of 2026 as well as the April Goodhousekeeping Book Club pick. She connected with CurePSP after her mother was diagnosed with PSP last fall.

Ilyssa Fox, MA, CCC-SLP has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 30 years, with a career spanning both adult medical rehabilitation and educational settings. Shebrings a deeply personal perspective to this panel through her experience as both a clinician and caregiver for three beloved family members during the final chapters of their lives. She supported her father, her younger brother, and most recently her mother, who passed away in March 2026 following the progressive challenges of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Throughout her mother’s illness, Ilyssa navigated palliative care and hospice services and the option of medical aid in dying (MAID). Ilyssa brings to this conversation both the clinical lens of a seasoned healthcare professional and the lived experience of a daughter, sister, caregiver, and advocate. Her perspective offers an honest, compassionate understanding of serious illness, palliative care, hospice, end-of-life decision-making, and the profound meaning of being fully present for those we love.