Sara Ellen Myers

1954 - 2016
Sara Ellen Myers, of New York City and Kent, Connecticut died on the morning of August 16, after a determined fight to live the best life she could, in spite of the cruel devastation of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).
Diagnosed with this vicious, terminal illness in 2010, Sara threw herself into researching the disease, and became a ferocious advocate for aid in dying. She was an eloquent champion, testifying for Compassion and Choices in front of the Connecticut legislature on house bill 5326 and, as lead plaintiff in Myers v. Schneiderman, a case brought by End of Life Choices, seeking to establish aid in dying as a right in New York. Ignorance, fear and the slow wheels of government made it clear change would not happen in the time she had left, but she continued to speak out, hoping her voice would help others in the future.
Sara was born in Olney Illinois to Robert and Betsy Myers, now of Lakewood Colorado. With a B.A. in costume design from the University of Northern Colorado, she moved to New York, where her first job was sewing sequins on elephant blankets for the circus. She moved on to work for the Children's Aid Society and what was then The Federal Defender's Unit of the Legal Aid Society. However, Sara found her true passion as an educated practitioner of structural integration, She reveled in her ability to help clients gain, or regain, freedom of movement without pain. When she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2010, the irony was not lost on her.
Sara met the end with grace and humor, living up the promise she made -never to feel sorry for herself and to greet each day with curiosity about what was to come.
She is survived by her parents, her sister Ann Calley, and her husband Charles Ross. In death she joins her beloved brother Craig. In lieu of tears or flowers, Sara would expect that we raise a glass and continue the fight for the right to die with dignity.