THE OREGONIAN : NEXT :

About this series

When Lovelle Svart was told she had six months to live, she let us know at The Oregonian, from where she had retired five years ago.

Lovelle Svart

Out of our sadness grew an idea: Why not let Lovelle share how she lives her final months? We knew that Lovelle could offer insights as well as humor, straight talk as well as compassion.

We also were aware that Lovelle had endorsed the Supreme Court case that eventually blocked an attempt to overturn Oregon’s unique doctor-assisted suicide law. She still must make a personal choice about whether to use the law. Her honesty would give viewers a close-up opportunity to see someone wrestle with that choice.

That’s not the only story Lovelle has to share.

She will talk about her experiences in her final months, primarily through video. We want viewers to hear directly her voice. We will strive to post a new video from Lovelle each week, depending on her condition and availability.

Over the course of the next months, we hope that viewers will join in the conversation by offering their own comments. We hope that the online diary expands to include the words and personal stories of others.

Lovelle welcomes the opportunity to talk about death. She says we don’t talk enough about it.

She has a lot to say and is not ready to stop living. She wants to live to the end.

UPDATE: Lovelle Svart, 1945-2007

About Oregonian Next:

The Oregonian wants to offer an online home where we can give voice to people who are going through transitions in their lives. They can offer a gift of experiences and wisdom that we all can learn from, whatever comes next.

Contact Us

We welcome your comments and suggestions about the project. Please ship them to:

Susan Gage - Team Leader, How We Live
sgage@oregonian.com

Rob Finch - Multimedia Journalist
rfinch@oregonian.com

Don Colburn - Reporter
doncolburn@msn.com

Ed Madrid - Web Design
emadrid@oregonian.com