‘Nobody wants to die’: Terminally ill woman’s VAD quest

Tanya Battel has been battling breast cancer for 20 years and says if the cancer spreads to her brain she would “absolutely” want to use VAD.

A terminally-ill Queensland woman says she needs access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) to prevent rampant cancer deteriorating her body and brain.

Tanya Battel, 57, has been battling breast cancer for 20 years and says if the cancer spreads to her brain she would “absolutely” want to use VAD.

“If I was told that the disease had progressed to my brain, absolutely, I would absolutely access it immediately,” she said.

“Those against VAD are saying that people will choose this over palliative care, but please trust me when I say that nobody wants to die, you hang in as long as you can, you take the treatments even though they make you feel like shit, and it’s only at the end if it’s progressing.

Tanya Battel has been lobbying for voluntary assisted dying legislation in Queensland, Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - Picture: Richard Walker

“Say with my case, if it goes to my brain I don’t want to lose my sight, I don’t want it to take over, that is when I would say ‘I don’t want to spend the last six months like this’ but it’s having that option.

“It’s about have the peace of mind, because when you’ve seen what many of us have seen, you know you really don’t want to go down that path.”

The mother-of-two from Morningside started the change.org petition to legalise VAD which has more than 80,000 signatures.

She stressed the importance of VAD being available for people in regional and remote areas.

“I do agree that the first consultation must be face-to-face, but i think thereafter for remote and regional areas there must be Telehealth options,” Ms Battel said.

“Most people in remote regional areas have to come to the city for surgeries and things like that, but when you’re terminally ill it’s a whole different ball game, sometimes I can’t even get out of my house because I need to be near the toliet, I don’t even go down the coast on my bad days, you’ve got to be near your home.”