A new bill aims to ensure patients’ end-of-life wishes are followed. But one San Diego woman’s decision to pursue medical aid-in-dying highlights ongoing barriers to access, cost, and awareness.
Just hours before her death, Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly was surrounded by loved ones in her San Diego home. They were singing, dancing, and celebrating a choice she believed more people should know they have.
“I have stage four clear cell carcinoma, but prior to that, I was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia,” Kelly said.“Hi Dr. Moore. You missed the party. The drinks are all gone…,” she said as her physician entered the room.Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly holds a photograph of herself on Feb. 12, 2026, as she looks through her keepsakes, reminiscing about her life about a week before she planned to take prescription aid-in-dying drugs."I worked so hard in my life to be the best person I can," Kelly said."I've given love. And, right now, I'm spending time receiving love."Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly holds a photograph of herself on Feb. 12, 2026, as she looks through her keepsakes, reminiscing about her life about a week before she planned to take prescription aid-in-dying drugs."I worked so hard in my life to be the best person I can," Kelly said."I've given love. And, right now, I'm spending time receiving love."“So from the time I had the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, I started thinking about aid in dying,” Kelly said.“For one thing, this,” she said, struggling to get the words out. “OK, this is a big part of why I don't want to do this for 10, 11 years.”“I don't want to be in any kind of medical office because it's traumatic,” she said.Dr. Douglas Moore holds Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly's hand during her final hours on the day she died, Feb. 20, 2026. Moore runs Autonomy Health and helped Kelly with the medical aid-in-dying process.to plan her end of life care. Moore runs Autonomy Health, a practice that helps patients navigate end of life decisions.Without knowing their options, Moore said some patients may spend their last months in pain, undergoing prolonged care and racking up medical bills.$80,000 Medical aid in dying can be costly, too. It can range from $3,000 and $5,000 between doctors visits and the medication. And it isn’t covered by insurance.“They're really choosing out of a sense of wanting agency over their life…to really choose how they exit this world,” he said.“We see that it is brought up less to people of color, that it's accessed less,” Moore said. “I would love to see more marginalized communities, the awareness that this exists and the profound sense of comfort that it can provide.”It modernizes key forms, like advance directives and do-not-resuscitate orders and Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment , so they’re clear and recognized across health systems, in emergencies or across state lines. “The reality is that the medical system is designed to keep people alive, so there are interventions that happen if you don't make your wishes known,” Blakespear said. So these documents allow people to have more control over their end of life.”Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly died on Feb. 20, 2026, surrounded by friends and family. "I have this feeling I've won the game life because the amount of love that's been shown to me this last couple of weeks, it's painful in many ways." Kelly said."I'm ready."Theresa Margaret Mary Kelly died on Feb. 20, 2026, surrounded by friends and family. "I have this feeling I've won the game life because the amount of love that's been shown to me this last couple of weeks, it's painful in many ways." Kelly said."I'm ready."She chose Feb. 20 to end her life on her own terms. “International Day of Social Justice,” she said. “I sort of want to give my heart to that as I leave the planet.”Friends shared stories, held her hand and celebrated her life as she drifted off to sleep.If you or someone you know needs help, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting the number 9-8-8.Heidi de Marco is an award-winning photojournalist and health reporter who has focused her work on producing multimedia stories that help humanize the complex health and humanitarian issues impacting marginalized and vulnerable communities in the United States and abroad. KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.Border & Immigration
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