Doctor-assisted suicide ruling comes too late for Toronto woman

KathyWardle'sfinal wish was that she would be one of the last Canadians forced to travel abroad to legally end her life on her own terms.

Wardle, 73, suffered from debilitating osteoarthritis. Nearly 10 years of countless pills and multiple surgeries failed to treat the pain, and her thoughts turned to suicide.

"Could I use the morphine pills? I was convinced I could [but] the doctor said you're more likely to end up in a coma," she said.

"I thought about the car in the garage thing, and I thought, who was going to have to find me? That would be awful," she added, while lying in bed justweeks before her death.

More than anything,Wardlewanted to end her life peacefully at her home in Toronto, cuddling her two standardpoodles, surrounded by her closest friends and her sister, Lesley Forrester.

Having it in your own country would be a thousand, thousand times better, in every way.- KathyWardle

But with assistedsuicide banned inCanada, she looked to theDignitasclinic in Zurich, Switzerland. It offers accompanied suicideforindividuals suffering from aterminal illness, unendurable pain or an unendurable disability.

Individuals who receive the green light from Dignitas are abletolegally end their lives on their own terms,by drinking a lethal cocktail of barbiturates.

Supreme Court ruling comes 'too late'

Partway throughWardle'spreparations to leave for Switzerland,the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canadians have a right to doctor-assisted suicide.

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It was significant progress for the dying with dignity movement, but forWardle, the ruling came too late.

The government was given up to a year to draft new legislation, and in the meantime, assisted suicide remains illegal.

"I'm happy about [the ruling]... I'm glad that's going to happen,"Wardlesaid.

"It won't do me any good, because I can't wait. I'm in too much pain."

Wardlesaid she hopes she's one of the last Canadians to go through the ordeal of preparing for physician-assisted suicide abroad.

"Having it in your own country would be a thousand, thousand times better, in every way," she said.

In Wardle's case, theDignitasprocess requiredextensive documentation, including post-operative notes from hermultiple surgeriesand family records proving next of kin. The whole ordealwas a stressful and frustrating process forWardle who hadto track down the paperwork and organize an international flight and accommodation, all while dealing with her deteriorating physical condition.

She just looked like she was falling asleep then it was clear to us that she wasn't in pain.- LesleyForrester

After weeks of preparations and waiting, Wardlereceived the green light fromDignitasshe was cleared to travel to their clinic in Zurich, where a doctor would meet with her in person and ask her if she was sure she wanted to die, before giving her the final go-ahead.

On March 17, a sunny day in the hilly countryside of Zurich, KathyWardleenjoyed her final moments outside, sipping cognac and enjoying a final smoke.

"She said okay I'm ready so in we went then we just told each other how much we loved each other,"Forrestersays.

"It wasn't even three minutes and her eyelids drooped, and she just looked like she was falling asleep then it was clear to us that she wasn't in pain."

Forrester, now back home, says the whole process was peaceful, but she wishes her sister could have died at home.

"It was so far removedfrom being here. There wasn't that kind of comfort level at all," she says.

"It would just be so different if it could be in Canada death is a natural part of life."

• Listen toJaelaBernstien'sSunday Editiondocumentary,This Was Her Time.

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