Teens Face Early Death On Their Own Terms

A new planning guide allows young patients with terminal illnesses the chance to die on their own terms, choosing where they’ll spend their last days, what type of ceremony their families should plan, and even what guests will eat at those ceremonies. Called the “Voicing My Choices” guide, it’s the first end-of-life planner that speaks specifically to teens.

The guide allows young patients that chance to voice “what nurtures, protects and affirms their remaining life and how they wish to be remembered,” social worker and principal investigator Lori Wiener told The New York Times. For Karly Koch, a teenager when this video was shot (who is now 20 years old), that can make all the difference. Watch Karly discuss her story in the video above, and find more about the guide in The New York Times.