Robert Munsch approved for MAID, but daughter says he’s ‘not dying’

Acclaimed Canadian children's author Robert Munsch has been approved for medical assistance in dying following a dementia diagnosis.

Robert Munsch, the beloved Canadian author behind children’s books such as “Love You Forever,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Mortimer,” has been approved for medical assistance in dying (MAID).

A New York Times profile of Munsch published Sunday revealed that he applied for MAID shortly after being diagnosed with dementia.

“Hello, Doc — come kill me!” he joked to the Times about his application. “How much time do I have? Fifteen seconds!”

He says a date has not yet been set, because the Canadian law requires that patients actively consent to MAID at the time of their death.

“I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it,” Munsch told the Times.

Meanwhile, Julie Munsch, the author’s daughter, posted a statement on social media Tuesday to clarify that he is not dying immediately.

“My father IS NOT DYING!!!,” she wrote in a post on the official Robert Munsch Facebook page, adding that her father’s choice to apply for MAID was made five years ago and was not “new news.”

“My dad is doing well but of course with a degenerative disease it can begin to progress quickly at any point,” she wrote. “The New York Times article is a great interview with my dad and nowhere does it say my dad isn’t doing well, nor that he’s going to die anytime soon!”

She ended the post warning about clickbait.

‘Let him die’

Canada has revised the law, which allows the waiver of the requirement to provide final consent immediately before receiving MAID for patients whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable, including in instances where the person is at risk of losing decision-making capacity before their preferred date.

Munsch said his decision came after watching one of his brothers die slowly from Lou Gehrig’s disease, fuelling a desire not to linger in a state of prolonged suffering.

“They kept him alive through all these interventions,” he told the Times. “I thought: Let him die.”

CTV News has reached out to Munsch’s representatives for comment but had not heard back as of publication.

The 80-year-old author first announced his dementia diagnosis in 2021 and has been navigating the disease and the physical challenges that accompany it since then.

‘I am a storyteller’

Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Penn., and moved to Canada in 1975. He has written more than 70 children’s books and sold millions of copies across North America. His books have also been translated into 20 different languages.

Munsch’s stories are often based on real children he met during school visits and performances. Many of his books, including “Stephanie’s Ponytail” and “Think Big!” were inspired by children he met on these tours.

“I am a storyteller,” he wrote on his website. “I write books for kids, I talk to kids, and I listen to kids.”

While his books brought joy to generations, Munsch’s personal life included struggles with addiction and mental health.

Munsch also faced the grief of two stillborn children before adopting three, an experience that inspired “Love You Forever,” published in 1986.

“I really wanted this story to be a book, and I had to change publishers since my regular publisher did not want to do it,” Munsch wrote on his website.

The book, which traces a mother’s love across decades, was the bestselling children’s book in Canada for three consecutive years.

“The strange thing was that it was also the bestselling kid’s book in the USA, only nobody knew it, including me,” Munsch wrote. “It never occurred to me that it could be an invisible bestseller.”

In 2008, he suffered a stroke that temporarily erased his memory of his stories. Through speech therapy and perseverance, he gradually returned to storytelling, though less frequently.

“I can feel it going further and further away,” he told the Times when describing both his thinking and creative processes.

Despite these challenges, he experienced a brief creative resurgence in 2023, writing “Bounce!” which was published in 2024. Another book, “The Perfect Paper Airplane,” written many years ago and recently revised, is set to be published this fall.

Honoured with the Order of Canada and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, as well as two public schools in Ontario named after him, Munsch’s legacy as a storyteller who listened closely to children remains secure. Even as he faces the final chapter of his life, his stories continue to be cherished across generations.

With files from CTV News’ Aarjavee Raaj