Canadian icon Robert Munsch opts for MAID after dementia diagnosis

Canadian iconic children’s author Robert Munsch has expressed his choice to die by MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) after being diagnosed with dementia.

The author of classics such as The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, has applied for and was granted MAID from the Canadian government as reported by The New York Times.

After being diagnosed with neurological disorder, he told CBC’s Shelagh Rogers in an interview, “I can’t drive, I can’t ride a bicycle, I can’t write. So it’s been really whittling away on who I thought I was.”

In an interview with the Times, Munsch also joked about his MAID application, “Hello Doc- come kill me!” and “How much time do I have? Fifteen seconds.”

The 80-year-old endorsed his decision as he witnessed the demise of one of his brothers who died of Lou Gehrig’s disease.

He recalled, “They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought: let him die.”

While discussing the time of death, Munsch said, he will prefer to die “when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I will know.”

In 2016, the Canadian government passed the law, allowing patients who are terminally ill to euthanize. But under MAID law, only patients are allowed to give consent at the time of death.

Munsch has not yet chosen the time of death as per official details.