“Ellie Craig Goldstein holds a pouch containing sentimental items from her brother, Peter Craig. Three years after Peter’s death, his sisters Ellie and Joyce Craig are haunted by the memory of his final hours.” – (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

by Kim Christensen and Ben Poston

“Martin Huff was 67 when he fell off his bicycle, banged up his knee and spent a couple of hours in a Riverside County emergency room before walking out under his own power.

“Ten days later he was in hospice care, diagnosed as terminally ill by a small Covina provider of end-of-life services that said he was weak and wasting away, with six months or less to live.

“Five years after that grim prognosis, however, Huff was still very much alive. He testified in federal court that no one from California Hospice Care had ever given him a medical exam before claiming he was dying.

“’I really never knew exactly what the deal was on the hospice,’ he said.”

Click here to continue reading this article at The Los Angeles Times.