Pat Koch Thaler, the sister of late New York City mayor Ed Koch, decided to end her life after struggling with cancer for more than two decadesThaler, a former dean at New York University, told The New York Times that she chose to take advantage of a New Jersey law that allows the terminally ill to choose to die"I didn't want to torture myself anymore," Thaler told the outlet Pat Koch Thaler — the sister of beloved late New York City mayor Ed Koch — chose to take lethal medication amid a terminal cancer battle, picking Nov. 16 as her death date. She was 92. In the week before her death, Thaler — who struggled with kidney cancer for 22 years — shared her story with The New York Times , saying that after she watched her mother die "in agony," she chose a different route . "I have lived a very, very rich life, a very happy life, and I didn't want to torture myself anymore," Thaler, a former New York University dean, told the outlet. "I did what I could, and knowing that the law is on my side, I decided to take advantage." The law she's referring to is the New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act , which went into effect in 2019. Under this law, "mentally capable adults, with six months or less to live, can request a doctor's prescription for medication that they could decide to take in their final days or weeks to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully." Thaler, a resident of Pompton Plains, N.J., told the Times she wanted to raise awareness for groups that can provide alternatives to prolonged pain and suffering amid a medical crisis. She shared that when she was first diagnosed with cancer, "I thought that if I do whatever was necessary they would cure it. But it didn't work out that way. I went through everything that could cure me, and some of those things were not comfortable, but I did that. But I finally came to the conclusion that Medical Aid in Dying would allow me to choose the time and to die before I really suffered." And so she chose to plan her death: On Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. at her own home, Thaler drank apple juice that had been mixed with a powdered medication. She'd paid $900 for the medication — and $6000 for end-of-life consultations from Compassionate Care Services, the outlet reports. Nearly 6 hours afterwards, Thaler was pronounced dead. She'd spent her last week paying bills and planning her funeral, the Times says. "I do not believe in an afterlife," Ms. Thaler said. "I believe the body disintegrates, and whatever remains is the spirit — that, and the memories." One of the memories she wanted to share was of her late brother Ed, who was New York City's mayor from 1978 to 1989 and died in 2013 at age 88 from congestive heart failure. "He would often throw out an idea and ask me what I thought about it," Thaler told the outlet. "I gave him my honest opinion. If I thought it was a stupid idea, I'd say, 'It's a stupid idea.'" 
