Our Mom was 89 when she passed. She was diagnosed at 80 with mild dementia after our Dad passed. 

Mom would wander outside at night a lot. She had previously taken a fall in her back yard and cracked her spine. She could still walk but her spine was crooked. She had 2 more falls. Broke her hip and then her pelvis. She would forget how to use her walker. 

Eventually, she was in a wheelchair, forgetting she couldn’t walk. She couldn’t understand how to move herself in her wheelchair. She’d cry for help. She couldn’t use her phone anymore. She’d beg us, my sister and I, to let her die, and ask us why we wouldn’t let her just die. She’s forget when we visited.

Her world got smaller and smaller. Trapped in her lonely failing mind and body ever so slowly. 

She couldn’t feed herself. She was spoon fed. 

This was not our Mom. 

See was in a coma for 9 days before she died. It was like she forgot how to die. 
 
Mom was so unhappy in her final years. She did not want her end to be this way. Slowly losing a piece of her former self daily.

 

 
She was a great gardener, loved traveling with Dad, enjoyed looking well put together, and especially enjoyed dancing with Dad. She and Dad looked magical moving on the dance floor. Mom laughing at his silliness. We watched her slowly, ever so slowly, die, trapped. 

My sister and I both want the choice to be able to have advance request if this is our ending. In Alberta, it has been removed from our reach mostly due to religion. I guess religion feels it is important to let seniors suffer and linger till it’s gods time to take them.

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An advance request would allow a competent person to make a written request for MAID that could be honoured later, after they lose the capacity to make medical decisions for themselves. An advance request could save a person from having to endure years — perhaps even decades — of unwanted suffering. 

In DWDC’s most recent polling, 82% of Canadians stated that they support advance requests for MAID for a person that has a diagnosis of a grievous and irremediable medical condition. It’s time for us to join our voices and tell the government to make advance requests legal. 

How can you join the conversation? Tell your MPP/MLA and the Minister of Health in your province or territory that you want to see advanced requests part of federal MAID legislation. Or consider calling or meeting with your MPP/MLA to have an even bigger impact. Find our action toolkit and more information on the advance request advocacy page on our website.