A Legacy of Love is the story of the Quinlan Family and the foundation of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. The author, Julia Quinlan, is the mother of Karen, a young woman who was kept on artificial means of life support against the will of her family. The predicament received worldwide coverage, and lead to new laws to honor a person’s right to determine their own end-of-life fate.
Far from ending with Karen’s death, though, Karen’s influence lives on. The Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice was founded in her memory forty years ago, setting an example and touchstone for hospice care. Related programs have also been founded by the family, and have met the needs of thousands of people to die in a loving and dignified way.
The book is extremely moving, as well as inspiring. Hospice workers are truly caring people who love and respect those they care for, and learn from them as well. The experience of working in, or being a resident in, a hospice is not grim. People have hope, and have a life expectancy in which new things can be accomplished, albeit in a relatively brief time-frame. Laughter, happiness, and grief are all present. Moreover, hospice professionals report that shortly before most residents pass, they seem to be in contact with people on the other side of the life–death separation (speaking with them, seeing them).