Cairns tragedy: Family calls for voluntary assisted dying bill to be fast-tracked
A Cairns woman who watched her mum die a slow, cruel and brutal death has offered sympathy to a man charged with aiding the suicide of his wife. What safeguards would be in place
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A CAIRNS woman who watched her mum waste away in agony has offered sympathy to a man charged with aiding the suicide of his wife, calling for assisted voluntary dying laws to be fast-tracked.
Kelly Fitzgerald has recalled the harrowing experience of watching her mother, Sue Mitchell, suffer a painful death due to a horrific and merciless cancer.
Her suffering was so intense not even medical-grade painkillers could ease it, with her daughter claiming “it never would have happened” if voluntary assisted dying (VAD) was in place – set to be legalised in Queensland from January 2023.
And the mother-of-two said she field saddened by the alleged circumstances of a 76-year-old Upper Barron man, who has been charged with one count of aiding the suicide of his 74-year-old wife.
“No one wants to see their loved ones in pain. It always hurts when I read or hear anything about anyone in pain from cancer,” she said.
“We needed (VAD) legalised a very long time ago.”
She also questioned why the state had not yet brought VAD laws into effect.
“It should be made legal now, why the wait?” she said.
“There are way too many people suffering right now.”
Ms Fitzgerald’s mum died at the aged of just 44 and the experience was still raw for the happy-go-lucky mother-of-two.
She said watching her die a slow, cruel and brutal death was something “you never get over”.
“Think of the worse thing that could ever happen to you and times that by a hundred,” she said.
“You never get over something like that, ever.”
Cancer has again struck in her family, with her husband’s grandfather passing recently.
“Then losing my beautiful Nana two years ago, brought all that back,” she said.
Patients hopeful over the legalisation of VAD will have strict eligibility criteria to meet when accessing the service at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
“Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service is working with the Department of Health to put in place the appropriate clinical and administrative arrangements needed to ensure that voluntary assisted dying is high quality, safe, accessible and compassionate to all residents in the local area,” the CHHHS spokesperson said.
“The presence of mental illness in people who are at the end of life and experiencing suffering is not uncommon.”
The Cairns-based Dr Edward Koch Foundation aims to prevent suicide, educate and bring awareness.
“We operate from the point of view that we would just like to prevent suicide, but we do understand (VAD) is everyone’s choice,” CEO of the foundation Dulcie Bird said.
“There’s a lot of stressers that happen in our society today that keep the (suicide rates) going up unfortunately … mortgage payments, the high rate of unemployment, the transient population and primary industries that are going broke.”
Call Lifeline for support on 13 11 14.
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