"Since March, Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit group in Florida devoted to supporting end-of-life wishes, has received requests for more than 800,000 copies of its do-it-yourself form, known as Five Wishes, which blends the statement of wishes and the appointment of a medical proxy, a relative or friend with the power to make life-or-death decisions.

That is a 60 times the normal number of requests, said the group's president, Paul Malley. 'Mail is coming to us by the truckloads,' he said."

--Schwartz, John & Estrin, James, "Many Seeking One Final Say On End of Life," The New York Times, 6/17/05, pp. A1/A12

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