Walking Him Home

“An unvarnished account of a loving marriage and medical aid in dying.”—Kirkus Reviews“Inherently engaging, emotionally moving, thought-provoking, and memorable, Walking Him Home is a story that lingers long after you’ve finished reading it… . A unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library collections.”—Midwest Book Review “Walking Him Home is a testament to the depth of human resilience. Faced with a rare, excruciating terminal illness, Kelly’s husband, Alan, resolves to deliver himself from this world—with her help. Heartbreaking, honest, and stirring, Kelly’s memoir will resonate with anyone who has ever lost someone.” —Anita Hannig, PhD, author of The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America“Joanne Kelly is an accomplished writer, telling the sweet, honest, and engaging end-of-life story of her beloved husband. Walking Him Home lays bare the joy and grief, the sweet rewards, and the unavoidable costs of two people loving each other deeply and well to the end. Kelly does not spare us the frustrations and fears of being caregiver, advocate, and lover, and the poignant events of her husband’s passing carry lessons for us all.” —Barbara Coombs Lee, President Emerita of Compassion & Choices, author of Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End, and coauthor of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act“Joanne Kelly has written a timeless memoir about the joy of midlife romance, the give and take of marriage, the sheer wonder of loving someone completely, and the courage it takes to help your partner say a final good-bye after a terminal illness strikes. Compelling and unforgettable.”—Pete Earley, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist CRAZY: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness“This is an exceedingly fluid, informative, and emotional memoir. It’s also an honest exploration of a very important topic.” —Clay Bonnyman Evans, author of The Trail is the Teacher “Joanne Tubbs Kelly skillfully narrates an intimate memoir about helping her husband end his life using Colorado’s End-of-Life Options Act. Kelly provides a moving illustration of the ethical tensions at play and makes an important contribution to the conversation on death and dying.”—Kerry Landsman, medical ethics consultant“Joanne shares a very personal view on the impossible choices facing patients and families living with, and dying of, serious and progressive neurologic illnesses. There is much here for patients, families, policymakers and healthcare providers to take in and wrestle with in coming to terms with medical aid in dying.”—Dr. Benzi Kluger, the Julius, Helen, and Robert Fine Distinguished Professor in Neurology at University of Rochester School of Medicine and president of the International Neuropalliative Care Society“Joanne Tubbs Kelly has written a sweet love story and narrative of the beautiful but difficult journey with her husband, Alan. This story adds to the witnessing that helps us understand MAID as one of the paths to gaining a death that is gentle on us and those around us.”—Dr. Jean Abbott, retired physician and medical ethicist

Joanne Tubbs Kelly moved around a lot as a kid, but she always felt at home with a book. As an adult, she provided marketing communications services to high-tech companies. Now retired, she lives in Boulder in the home she and her late husband remodeled. She enjoys gardening and hiking, reveling in the beauty of Boulder’s Flatirons and Colorado’s high peaks. When not in her garden or walking, she’s likely reading.