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MICHAEL DUNNE: I’m Michael Dunne. I’m very fortunate with this show. I get to talk to very well-known people and share those conversations with you. Well, for the next two shows, I’m going to share a conversation with someone none of you know or have ever heard of, and you’ll never get to meet him because he died on May 5, a date and a method of his own choosing. Indeed, Tom Lehman was not someone well known, but over the course of the next two shows, you’ll get to meet him and understand why he chose to end his own life, why such a decision is not only ominous but filled with logistical challenges and why Oregon’s Death with Dignity, law can be a gift for those who die and those who remain behind. I met Tom layman a few months ago. In fact, he reached out to us at the station to let us know he was going to participate in a program called made that stands for medical aid in dying. Basically, Tom was going to take a cocktail of drugs from a medical professional to end his life. He wanted to know if we would like to talk with him about it, and I did. I was curious as to the whys and how’s a person might want to end their own life, and was honored to be allowed inside this amazingly complex decision. So, I traveled out to Tom’s humble home, right up against the railroad tracks in West fir. I met this frail but kind and humorous man, and began to talk to him about his life and his decision and what he thought, all that would transpire. This is our conversation. A quick note, as one can imagine, Tom took heavy pain medication, and while I found him completely lucid, there are a few moments where he struggled with his thoughts and words. Tom Lehman, thanks so much for having me come out to your house and talk to you. I really appreciate it.
TOM LEHMAN: Well, you’re certainly welcome, and I appreciate your visit, and hopefully we can use this time to get some information out to the good folks of Lane County and maybe beyond…