Erica Baccus, Author
Erica Baccus honored her husband's final wish. Now she speaks up nationwide to help families talk openly about dignity, autonomy, and the right to choose.
Choice is the ultimate act of respect. My goal is to make it safe, and even beautiful, for families to talk about what matters most before it's too late.”
— Erica Baccus
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Erica Baccus, an award-winning author, in-demand speaker, and advocate for end-of-life choice, is emerging as one of the country’s most
compelling voices on a subject most families avoid: how we want to live and how we want to die. Drawing on the story at the heart of her #1 bestselling memoir A Promise Kept: Honoring His Wishes, Embracing Our Love, Baccus is turning private heartbreak into public conversation — on stages, in bookstores, and on national podcasts. Her message is urgent: choice is an act of love, and no family should have to face the end of life in silence.A Promise Kept chronicles the 41-year marriage of Erica and her husband, John, a couple who, in Erica's words, “always said yes to each other.” She was the wife who wanted to see the world; he was the husband who never told her no. When John was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, they faced a decision: whether, how, and when to honor his wish not to live through the advanced stages of dementia and to say goodbye on his own terms. The memoir follows their journey, the heartbreak of decline, and the courageous choice at its center while confronting questions most families never speak aloud. A Promise Kept is a testament to enduring love, dignity, and a different kind of happy ending. The book has reached #1 bestseller status in three categories: Right to Die Law, Medical Law & Legislation, and Health Policy.
But it is on the stage and behind the microphone that Baccus has found her calling as an advocate and educator. She speaks at libraries, bookstores, universities, leadership conferences, and book clubs, often to sold-out crowds, guiding families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and educators through one of life's most avoided conversations. Appearances include the Walnut Creek Library Foundation Authors Gala, Barnes & Noble at The Grove (Los Angeles), Secret World Books (Highland Park), and The Fromm Institute (San Francisco).
Baccus has become a sought-after guest on podcasts focused on caregiving, grief, aging, and end-of-life care, including Fading Memories, Inspired Caring, Comforting Closure, Grief Gratitude & The Gray In Between, Hilistically Speaking, Answers for Elders, and On Becoming a Healer. The Monterey Herald featured her story under the headline “Keeping the hardest promise of them all.”
A number of countries and U.S. states are reconsidering laws around aid in dying and end-of-life autonomy, yet the topic remains one families rarely discuss until they are forced to. Baccus is working to change that. Alongside her speaking and writing, she offers a free resource, How to Talk to Your Family About End of Life, and publishes essays on Substack, giving audiences practical tools to begin these conversations on their own terms.
Baccus shares, “The book is not about dying. Instead, it's a book about loving someone enough to let them choose.” She adds, “Choice is the ultimate act of respect. My goal is to make it safe, and even beautiful, for families to talk about what matters most before it's too late.”
A Promise Kept is available, and Baccus welcomes speaking engagements, keynote and panel appearances, podcast and media interviews, book-club visits, and inquiries from educators.
Visit Ericabaccus.com.
About Erica Baccus
Erica Baccus is an award-winning author, speaker, and advocate focused on end-of-life choice, as well as a former educator and high-tech marketing and advertising executive. Her debut memoir, A Promise Kept: Honoring His Wishes, Embracing Our Love, recounts the love story she shared with John and the promise she kept when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She advocates for end-of-life choice and educates audiences about the moral and ethical questions so many families face.
Interview Topics — Erica Baccus Is Available to Discuss
-Why every adult deserves the opportunity to choose how they want to end their life
-How families can talk about end-of-life wishes early — while everyone is young and healthy
-The emotional and physical toll of caring for a loved one with dementia
-How to support friends and family through decision-making during the end-of-life process
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