From the Spring 2020 edition of The Dignity Report.
William “Sunni” Ash first glimpsed his future wife, K.C., singing at a Seattle club in 2005. He was immediately drawn to her ability to connect with the audience.
“She would sing at every table,” he recalled, “she would even interrupt her own song to sing someone ‘Happy Birthday.’”
William “Sunni” Ash with his late wife, K.C.
“Her Own Song”
In the years that followed, K.C. and Sunni led a joyful life. But in late 2019, a terminal diagnosis turned their world upside down. K.C. was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in her head and neck. Her prognosis was poor, and she endured terrible pain.
Fortunately, she qualified for and chose to access Washington’s Death with Dignity Act.
Navigating Challenges
Sunni and K.C. faced challenges finding doctors and pharmacists in their small coastal town. Death with Dignity’s website helped them find local support and navigate the end-of-life process.
Finding Relief
“It was the relief that Death with Dignity was there and gave me tools to add to my toolkit that inspired me to donate,” Sunni said. “Using death with dignity gave K.C. the strength to fight as much as she could, knowing that when it got to be too much, she would be able to [decide] what she needed to do.”
The day K.C. died, Sunni sang to her at her bedside. They shared a smile before she took the medication. She died peacefully, and their time together ended as it began: with a song.
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