“Scott Kreiter–Local Man Who Killed His Wife, Oh I Mean Killed His Mother!”

Send us Fan MailIn today’s episode we sit down with friend and neighbor Scott Kreiter. He shares his story about helping his mom remain independent to the last moment--to choose death with dignity. (And no he didn’t kill anyone!) Scott calls himself a neanderthal, not someone who is a deep thinker, but honestly we decided this show proves him wrong! With humor and depth he walks us through the stark reality of having your mom call you at 6 am the day after Christmas and say, "today's the day."Scott was helping his mom end her life as she wished and well let’s just say, nothing ever goes quite as planned.  Learn about the roadblocks and moving goalposts of helping a parent with terminal illness and how to successfully access Washington State’s “Death With Dignity Act.” Specifically how he and his family worked with End of Life Washington to make it happen. (see resource below)We also discuss lessons learned on guilt, regret and "shoulds" and how a Saturday Night Live skit helped Scott let go of these unhealthy habits. Hang on until the end when Scott reads his carefully constructed, "How to Stay Young" checklist, created by he and his wife Amy. These are his wise gems to share with the world as he incredulously retorts when I ask him about wisdom, "I'm too young to be wise, I'm only 55!"Spoiler alert: there’s also some cussing, Willie Nelson and day-drinking in this one!Scott works as a Project Manager in hydropower recreation, archaeology, and construction management, along with a potpourri of other things that don't really go together. He is an expert at none of these things. Scott's interests are in pretty much anything outdoors (biking, hiking, kayaking), having cocktails with friends, and traveling to the Caribbean. But at his core he is a homebody, with his true happy place being at home with family and whatever friends happen to drop by. Scott and his wife, Amy, are also the owners and managers of  what they jokingly call "The Divorce Ranch"...but that's a story for another day. Resources:1. End of Life Washington, non-profit that helps people navigate the process of utilizing the Death With Dignity Act. 2. Topic Related Podcast: "When Death is Scheduled" on Grief Out Loud