A British woman traveled to New Zealand to undergo euthanasia – the message to politicians in her homeland

British Tracey Hickman suffers from cancer in its final stages, and decided to travel to New Zealand to undergo euthanasia, as this option is not available to her in her home country.

The 57-year-old decided to send a letter to politicians in the UK, asking them to look into this issue, so that seriously ill patients can choose when and how they die.

“Look at what New Zealand has done and do it better. There is a lot of emphasis on the right to life, but people should have the right to a peaceful and painless death.

Her sister, Linda Clark, who lives in the UK, echoed her plea. “If Tracy was still in the UK, I would watch her slowly die and suffer.”

Hickman, who also has New Zealand citizenship, chose to die on May 22 under a law that allows eligible adults to choose euthanasia if they are terminally ill and live less than six months.

Tracy Hickman’s story is a stark reminder of the absurdity of our system. A British woman was forced to travel to New Zealand to die in peace, and was denied that dignity in her homeland. Safeguards are essential but the time to legalize euthanasia is now. https://t.co/hdNEhqgGpL

-Andrew Copson (@AndrewCopson) May 13, 2024

It should be noted that euthanasia for reasons related to mental illness, disability or advanced age is expressly excluded.

The law came into effect in 2021, a year after two-thirds of voters supported medically assisted death in a national referendum, according to the British Daily Mail. guardian.

“The closer you get, the more at peace you feel.”

Hickman said she was at peace with her decision.

“The closer I get, the more at peace I feel. But I’m very sorry that I caused distress to my family and friends, even though they understand. The alternative is to live another two months or so, but to live a painful and uncertain death.”

“People should have the right to a peaceful and painless death.”

Her partner, Paul Qualtrough, said: “My life is very difficult. No one wants to see her go, but no one wants to see her suffer. The comfort I get is knowing that [ο θάνατός της] He would be lenient in her terms as well. “It’s the best in a series of bad choices.”

Hickman was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2019 after a routine mammogram.

“I was fit, vegetarian and didn’t drink. I thought I would be out of work for a few weeks. I didn’t realize how big this was,” he said.

Surgery and chemotherapy followed. The 57-year-old was suffering “horrific” side effects, including hearing loss. The cancer went away and she returned to work and running marathons. But in February 2023, the cancer returned and spread. With further treatments, additional side effects appeared, such as urinary incontinence and extreme fatigue.

He was also in severe pain.

“It was a big shock”

At that point, euthanasia was not an option because doctors did not give her six months to live.

Instead, she considered killing herself by refusing food and water, but knew this would lead to a long and difficult death.

In March of this year, doctors discovered dozens of tumors in her brain and informed her that she might only have three months to live at most. “It was a huge shock,” she said. He now takes morphine “day and night.”

Hickman applied for euthanasia, a simple process that involves evaluations by two different doctors and choosing an appointment. Until then, she says goodbye to her loved ones and does “nice things.”