In January 2025, Gordon Skillen reached out to DWDC because he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he was in the process of his MAID assessments and he wanted to share his story, leave a legacy and help educate people on this legal end-of-life option in Canada. 

Gordon was born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario. His father had a stroke when Gordon was only eight years old. He recovered but later had a fall that left him as a quadriplegic with limited care and very little quality of life. His mother was diagnosed with colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver, pain medications had little effect, and her death was very traumatic and painful. 

“I’m not happy that I have this cancer diagnosis, but I’m glad that MAID is a choice for me. I can avoid what will likely be a painful death and it gives me time to prepare and properly say goodbye.” 

Gordon is a very articulate and funny guy. A salesman by trade and nature, he advocated for himself in our uncertain health care system to get to the care he needed.  

“My doctor of 30 years retired two years ago. I was a smoker for most of my life, I have COPD, and I take a drug that that has given me a good quality of life, so when the BC Cancer Agency called for a routine lung screening, they said I didn’t qualify when they learned that I didn’t have a family doctor. I thought to myself, how does that make sense? You’re telling me there’s a potential that I might have cancer in my body, but because I don’t have a doctor, I don’t qualify. Once I sorted that out, I was given the run around to schedule an endoscopy to see if I had cancer. They are telling me there is a potential that I have cancer, but they can’t see me for five months. I’ll tell you what’s worse than knowing you have cancer, is thinking you might have cancer. So, I bitched and complained a bit and got an appointment the next week.” 

After multiple appointments, a clear diagnosis and an understanding of treatment options, Gordon decided to forgo radiation and chemotherapy. He started the MAID assessment process and started to plan with his wife. 

“I say, get started early because you really don’t know how much time you have. My wife found a book online called “I’m dead, now what?” and it helps us organize all our passwords and numbers. We paid off the mortgage and set everything up so the only thing she has to do is grieve when I’m gone. We didn’t visit the grandkids this Christmas because my diagnosis was new and my wife referred to me as the ‘Weeping Grampa’, but they are visiting over spring break in March which will be wonderful.” 

Not everyone will be so public about their end-of-life choices, but Gordon really wanted to honour and celebrate his life by educating people about MAID. 

“I have let folks know about my diagnosis and choice and the response has been very positive. Besides a few religious folks who are opposed to MAID, the rest has been heartwarming. A guy I have known for 50 years wrote me a poem. You get back what you put out there and I have had a good life.”