As a program manager for the My Life My Choices Advance Care Planning initiative, Teeshla Curtis thought she “knew a lot” about ACP. But it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer that she and her husband could fully appreciate its importance–and the comfort it brought to their lives. It allowed them to have the difficult conversations about her preferences for end-of-life care and to specify what was important to her. She learned first- hand about physicians’ discomfort in talking about end of life or advanced care planning and patient “misconceptions about hospice or palliative care.” And it made her more determined to live authentically and truthfully, day by day. Today, Teeshla continues to work and raise her three girls adopted from India. She says she is blessed by her friendships, her faith, and her family.
C-TAC has long advocated for improved Medicare coverage for ACP so that more patients and families can access advance care directives, counseling and other planning tools. Learn more about our work here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCcvaT-e0ik
