End of Life Choices New York in Community with You

Mandi Zucker

October 29, 2025

Live How You Like, Leave How You Like

This morning I am waking up in Albany, as David Leven and I are attending the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York’s annual conference. We are staffing a table (Thank you to our volunteer Risa for helping out!) to bring more awareness to our mission as well. Conferences like this are not only amazing opportunities to learn, but the networking is also an important way for us to grow our base of supporters and potential partnerships, so it’s always a positive experience being here.

Being with so many other professionals, in all facets of end of life care, is also energizing and inspiring. Being with people who have common goals and seeing all of the work being done to improve quality of care and expand options for people with terminal illness energizes me in new ways to continue to advocate, support and educate people about their options as well. It makes me feel excited about the future of this work.

In the past week, I also had opportunities to see board members, donors, volunteers, staff and professionals who share my passion for this work and who want to partner with us to bring more awareness and education to New Yorkers about all end of life options. We will be talking about ways you can do this in the next few weeks but in the meantime, I just want to say thank you for supporting this mission. Without your generous commitment, we would not be able to attend conferences like this and grow the services we provide like we have. I’m excited to share more about exactly what we have accomplished this year in the upcoming months, so please stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Mandi Zucker, LSW
Executive Director

Recent Events & Updates

Join Us Around the State!

We have several free and open-to-the-public events in the next few weeks, both online and in person. Join us:

Death Cafe- November 18th at 7 PM, with Michelle Carter founder of The Death Expert and our own David Leven. Hudson Valley Books for Humanity, 67 Central Ave, Ossining, NY. This event is free but registration is required.
Online Meet-n-Greet, November 19th at noon. This event is a free opportunity to learn more about our work, introduce yourself to us, and see how you can get more involved in supporting our efforts. Register here.

Welcoming Nathalie Chara to the Team

Nathalie Chara (she/her) has joined the team as our new Program Director. After an exhaustive search, we are thrilled to bring Nathalie’s gifts and talents to End of Life Choices New York.

Nathalie (she/her) is a Sociologist based in New York City. She holds a Master’s degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Amsterdam and a Master’s degree in Sociology from St. John’s University. She has spent the last ten years in roles focused on bringing choice, autonomy, and dignity to survivors of human trafficking and LGBTQIA+ communities. Nathalie is excited to bring this experience to EOLCNY!

If you are looking to get involved as a volunteer, to are looking for support for your or a family member, please reach out to Nathalie and let her know you would like to connect. She is excited to meet you!

Update on Medical Aid in Dying

End of Life Choices New York took the initiative in drafting a strong letter of support for the Medical Aid in Dying Act for consideration by New York State law school professors at numerous law schools, who are experts in fields that have a connection to medical aid in dying. We then circulated the letter to 16 of these law school professors and 12 of them signed it. The letter was published in Law360, a legal news service providing in-depth reporting on litigation, legislation, and more. We are hopeful that it will have a positive impact on the Governor when she is determining whether or not to sign the bill. You can read the letter here.

Ask Us Anything

Q: If I (or my loved one) decides to use a ventilator, can we decide to remove it even if it means they will die imminently?

A: Yes. If you are on a respirator and are competent to make your own medical decisions, you can decide to discontinue any medical treatment, including life-sustaining ones. If this is your decision, talk to your doctor about hospice or palliative care to ensure that you are comfortable as breathing support is withdrawn. If the patient is not able to communicate their wishes, a health care agent can make that decision for them. We recommend documenting these wishes in a living will or Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment if possible.

If you have a question you’d like answered, send it here!

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