Finding Frances

Book excerpt: WILLIAM BALDWINs life is a mess, and now his mother has asked him to help her die. He dropped out of medical school when he couldnt come to terms with death and the idea that medicine sometimes causes irreparable consequences. His mothers illness brings up old questions that William must now answer. FRANCES BALDWIN is a feisty, fierce and funny septuagenarian with a life-long dream of a good death--a death that comes naturally, without intervention from the medical community. Prepared to deny further medical care for her heart and lung conditions, she wants to bring closure to a well-lived life and seek the heaven that her faith promises her. But first, she must battle the family and the medical system that struggle to keep her alive at all costs. Giving in to their arguments at first, she consents to surgery. The operation is a success, but a series of complications develop, requiring consent to additional treatment. When her choices become clear, the family drama escalates. Frances has her reasons for dying; the deterioration of her body is only part of her readiness. Her spirit has been on its own trajectory for years, and she no longer feels connected to the physical world. She asks William to get her affairs in order and convince the family and the doctors to let her go. Through the weeks, William comes to terms with his mothers decision by studying and analyzing the concept of death through the eyes of different cultures and religions. All the time, he looks for signs that he is doing the right thing. He faces many legal and ethical issues as he tries to implement his mothers wishes for her end-of-life care. In the process, he grows closer to her and resolves his own issues of attachment and dependency. The focus of the story is not on what was lost, but rather what was found in Frances death. Readers