"Every day, Jeremy Boal practices dying. Sitting in his leather recliner or out on his back porch, he enters a meditative state and visualizes letting go of his identities: father, husband, doctor, activist. Boal will turn 59 in June, but after two and a half years of decline owing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he looks older. "It's very hard to predict," he says. "But I don't think I'll clear 60.""
"Boal's living-room windows look out over mountains and farmland where goats roam. He and his wife, Becky, still have an apartment in Manhattan, but he spends most of his time up here. When he moves around the house, he steps deliberately, slightly dragging one leg. ALS has begun moving into his shoulders and, in the past month, his forearms. With every minuscule movement, he feels pain. In time, his muscles will weaken enough that he will struggle to speak, to swallow, and, eventually, to breathe."
Jeremy Boal practices dying daily, entering meditative states and visualizing letting go of identities like father, husband, doctor, and activist. He will turn 59 in June after two and a half years of decline from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has weakened a leg and begun affecting his shoulders and forearms, causing pain and limiting movement; muscles will eventually weaken so speech, swallowing, and breathing become difficult. His advocacy helped lead to the Medical Aid in Dying Act signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on February 6. In 1997 he questioned Oregon's Death With Dignity Act over potential over-representation and coercion. He served most recently as Mount Sinai's chief clinical officer for seven years.
Read at Intelligencer
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