So far away

the long version

"A tale of two parents' very different end-of-life journeys and the daughter who survived them. For twenty years, Irmgard Hartmann maintained an unwavering goal: to commit suicide at age seventy. Her daughter, Christine, fought desperately against the decision. When Irmgard wouldn't reconsider, the only way to remain part of her life was for Christine to swallow her mother's plans hook, line, and sinker. Christine's father, as it turned out, prepared too slowly for old age. Before he had made any decision, fate disabled him through a series of strokes. He was confined to a nursing home, severely impaired by dementia, and frustrated by his circumstances. His life epitomized the predicament Christine's mother wanted to avoid."--Page 4 of cover.