A woman from British Columbia talks about her experience with access to “death assistance” with greater ease than health care at a time when federal politicians are considering further expanding access to medical care at death (MAID).
The chronically ill woman is in her late 30s and lives in the Lower Continent, but given the sensitivity of the subject, she asked us to call her by the nickname “Kat.” She applied to Fraser Health and received an application for MAID – although she wants to live.
I thought, “Lord, I feel like I’m falling through the cracks, so if I don’t have access to health care, can I get access to death care?” And that made me look at MAID and apply last year, Kat said. in an exclusive interview with CTV News.
She explained that although she hoped to gain access to palliative care or other support in the process, her “suffering was confirmed to the extent that it was approved for MAID, but no additional resources were found.”
A decade ago, she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disease in which the body does not produce enough collagen, essentially the glue that holds connective tissue, skin and our internal organs together, sometimes leading to complications and always leading to to significant pain.
As a result, Kat has been on opioids for years and says that is preventing her from finding a replacement for her family doctor, who moved years ago. She has been visiting practicing nurses for several years, as well as a revolving door of rheumatologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and other medical professionals, none of whom are EDS specialists.
“Our health care system is set up to really jump on the patient to treat symptom after symptom and not really address the underlying collagen problem,” she said. “From a disability and financial point of view, I can’t afford the resources that would help improve my quality of life. Because you’re closed both financially and geographically, it’s much easier to let go than to keep fighting. “
The Fraser Health MAID documentation includes a summary stating that “the patient has an extensive medical record” and that “there are no other treatment recommendations or interventions that are appropriate to the patient’s needs or financial constraints”.
DURING A NATIONAL CONVERSATION
Kat’s disability and poverty are two of the main concerns raised by advocates, warning that Canada is moving too far and too fast in expanding access to MAID.
Initially, applicants required incurable disease in addition to physical suffering, but now physical suffering is the only requirement. Lawmakers are now hearing arguments from various groups about the next phase of the MAID program, which will allow the mentally ill to apply for medical death.
Two BC families pleaded for a closer look at the process and recognition of wrongful deaths to protect those most vulnerable.
“It is imperative that these safeguards ensure that vulnerable people are given care as a first resort, not death,” said Alicia Duncan, whose death as a maid at Abbotsford is now the subject of a rare police investigation.
HE ALWAYS HOPES AGAINST APPROVAL
Kat now suffers from organ failure due to complications of EDS and weighs only 89 pounds. Her body closes and she admits that she is unlikely to have a long life ahead of her, but she still hopes: someone will approve her application for palliative care, that health professionals will see how desperate she is for fully funded counseling. have access to an EDS expert, even if they are outside Canada.
“If I could get into an alternate universe and have early intervention and appropriate treatment, say 10 years ago, I don’t think we would be talking here today,” she said, noting the lack of EDS expertise at BC.
Fraser Health documents confirm that Kat has what she calls an “open invitation” to plan her death at any time, but she is focused on enjoying the upcoming summer months.
“It’s an interesting comparison to feeling much more in life as I lean towards death and plan for both,” she said, shifting her aching joints on a concrete bench in the park, bathed in sunshine and surrounded by greenery. “This has created a catalyst for a list that I’m slowly moving towards because I want to finish as much as possible while I have the strength, articulation and clarity that I’m doing now.”
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