Most Americans are unprepared for the worst to happen—an accident or an unexpected illness that leaves them brain dead, but still alive. That’s what happened to Terry Schiavo, a young woman who became comatose after suffering a heart attack in 1990. Schiavo was kept alive by a feeding tube for fifteen years After a highly publicized legal battle, the feeding tube was finally removed and Schiavo died seventeen days later. This protracted battle might have been avoided, if Terry Schiavo had completed a document known as an advance directive. JoAnn Mar explains what an advance directive is and pays a visit to the Wisconsin town of La Crosse, ground zero for the patient autonomy movement.