Karen Shepard Documents Mother's Assisted Death Journey Through Personal Correspondence
Writer Karen Shepard chronicles her mother Tang Yungmei's decision to pursue voluntary assisted death through the Swiss organization Pegasos. The narrative unfolds through email exchanges from September 2023 to April 2024, detailing the application process, costs, and family dynamics. Yungmei, suffering from stroke effects and declining health, sought control over her end-of-life choices. Shepard accompanied her mother to Basel, Switzerland, where the procedure occurred on April 22, 2024. The correspondence also reveals complex family history, including Yungmei's adoption by writer Han Suyin and strained mother-daughter relationships. The piece explores themes of autonomy, memory, and intergenerational trauma through personal artifacts and unsent letters.
Key facts
- Tang Yungmei pursued voluntary assisted death through Pegasos in Basel, Switzerland
- The process cost approximately 10,000 Swiss francs and required extensive documentation
- Karen Shepard accompanied her mother to Switzerland for the procedure on April 22, 2024
- The correspondence spans from September 2023 to April 2024 with historical flashbacks to 2009
- Yungmei was adopted by writer Han Suyin and had a complex relationship with her biological origins
Entities
Artists
- Karen Shepard
Institutions
- Pegasos Association
- The Paris Review
- Williams College
Locations
- Basel, Switzerland
- New York City
- Lausanne