In December, 2002, a donation was received from the Marilyn Seguin Memorial Fund, a fund for the care of the seriously ill at the end of life, that had been initiated as part of Marilyn’s estate, at her death in September of 2000. Her solicitor, Martin Campbell of Toronto, Canada, informed us that $10,000 in United States funds would be received by the World Federation of Right To Die Societies.
As many members of the World Federation will remember, Marilyn was an integral part of our organization from its origination and formation and the organization that she founded, Dying With Dignity, based in Toronto, became a charter member. After her death, at which I had the great honor of being included in the group of Marilyn’s friends who attended, the Seguin Memorial fund was established and a donation from that fund was made to the Hemlock Society for the Caring Friends Program.
At the bedside
The intent of Marilyn was to help fund care and caring for the seriously ill near the end of life. In her lifetime Marilyn had provided information and her caring, compassionate presence at the bedside of many patients across Canada who were near the end of life. The Fund as established by this fine donation is to be used to present an award to an individual or a member Society of the World Federation. The recipient should exemplify the dedication that Marilyn brought to the Right To Die movement during her lifetime. It is likely that the award will be a sum of approximately US$2,000 to be presented at the biennial meetings of the World Federation. Selection of the individual or the Society to receive this award is to be made by the Board of Directors of the World Federation.
Suggestions for persons or societies to be considered for this honor are to be made in writing to the President, and the Secretary of the Federation. When sending the recommendation, the accomplishments of the proposed recipient should be included for consideration by the Board.
The Board of Directors thanks Martin Campbell for his great cooperation in arranging this fine contribution to the World Federation, and we know that many friends of Marilyn Seguin will find this award a fitting memorial as we will be reminded of her personal dedication and her contributions to our movement at each presentation of the Marilyn Seguin Memorial Award.
Dr. Richard MacDonald is medical director of the Hemlock Society and is a past president of the World Federation.