Health Issues and Personal Contemplation
Munsch was given a clinical dementia diagnosis in 2021 and currently grapples with non-motor symptoms connected with Parkinson's disease. He recalled that his choice was based on taking notice of his own brother dealing with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Munsch reports, "When I start having real trouble talking and communicating, then I'll know."
A Vast Literary Career
Munsch has authored 85 published works and more than 80 million copies sold in North America and translated into at least 20 languages, such as Arabic, Spanish, and the language of Anishinaabe heritage (which is Indigenous to North America). He achieved status as a member of Canada's Order of Canada in 1999 and, even more recently, received a star on Toronto's Canada Walk of Fame.
Canada's Medical Aid Dying Law
In 2016, Canada became the first to legalize euthanasia with limitations for people with terminal illness, and then modified the law to accept serious and chronic illness that did not encompass a terminal condition (where applicable). All applicants must be 18 years of age, must have a serious and incurable illness, and must be in the advanced state of irreversible decline. All applicants must make a voluntary request and provide final consent on the procedure date. In 2023, 4.7% percent of deaths in Canada were medically assisted dying; of the 15,300 who died, 96% had medical conditions considered "reasonably foreseeable."
