I had the great pleasure of interviewing writer Cai Emmons five times for KBOO before she ended her life in January 2023 through Oregon’s Death With Dignity program.
Cai was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS in early 2021, at the age of 70. It’s a debilitating disease, which takes away the power of speech before affecting the rest of the body. And, for now at least, there is no cure. Always a strong and independent woman, Cai made the decision to end her life on her own terms.
Cai lives on in her books, as well as our memories and our hearts. It was a remarkable life. And there will soon be a documentary film – titled Vanishing: A Love Story -- recounting the last six months of that remarkable life. The filmmaker Sandra Luckow, who was handpicked by Cai, is in Portland this week for two screenings of the work-in-progress, part of a fundraising campaign to complete the film. We’re fortunate to have Sandra with us now to talk about Cai, the film, and the screenings.
The screenings take place Friday, July 26th at the Mission Theater and Monday, July 29th at the Living Room Theaters.
- KBOO