A British woman with no terminal illness plans to end her life by assisted dying in Switzerland this Friday, April 24. Wendy Duffy, 56, is heading to the Swiss suicide clinic Pegasos because she says she’s too heartbroken to go on without her only son.
Tragic Death of Only Son Drives Wendy to Switzerland
Wendy’s 23-year-old son, Marcus Duffy, died four years ago after choking on a cherry tomato while asleep on the sofa in their West Midlands home. Marcus had been hungover when Wendy packed him a sandwich containing halved cherry tomatoes. Tragically, a piece got stuck in his windpipe as he dozed off, causing his death.
Grief Too Much to Bear, Therapy and Medication Failed
The former care worker tried to take her own life after Marcus’s death but survived. She told doctors her grief is unbearable, and no therapy or medication has helped. Now she’s been approved for assisted dying at Pegasos in Basel and has paid the £10,000 fee. At Pegasos, it’s a physician-assisted death – meaning Wendy will administer the lethal medication herself by turning a dial. Then – ding, ding, ding – within a minute, you are in a coma, and a minute after that, you are gone.
Family Support but Devastated
Wendy’s family say they support her choice, despite the heartbreak of losing her too. Wendy plans to call them before going through with it. She said: “It will be a hard call where I’ll say goodbye and thank them. But they will get it. They know. Honestly, 100%, they know that I’m not happy, that I don’t want to be here.”
Swiss Clinic Confident in Decision
Ruedi Habegger, founder of Pegasos, said Wendy is resolute. Speaking after meeting her and her psychiatrist, he said: “He is very confident that we are doing the right thing letting her go, that we should not stand in her way. She is absolutely not in a depressive state. I’m very experienced in this field. There are no worries with Wendy, none at all.”
UK Debate Looms on Assisted Dying Law
Ironically, the UK is debating a law on physician-assisted death in the House of Lords tomorrow. Wendy’s case raises tough questions. She’s choosing to end her life after an unimaginable loss, appearing at peace with her decision. But she is leaving loved ones behind, facing the pain of another devastating loss. The tragic circumstances of Marcus’s death – caused by a simple cherry tomato in a fatal accident – make Wendy’s heartbreak almost unimaginable. She was the one who made the sandwich that led to his death, a burden that’s too heavy to carry. Fair play to Wendy for facing her pain head-on. Some wounds, it seems, never heal. RIP Marcus.
