“It was such a release to know that I didn’t have to suffer anymore, and that it was OK to go.” I’ve had a wonderful family who support me and I love dearly forever,” she said. Jeanette, who had tears running down her cheek as Phyllis told the story, said she felt an immense “release” through her entire body after making the decision. I’m not gonna make you do all of these things. So I said, ‘I’m not going to make you take your pills. “That day, we decided to do whatever was going to make Mom happy. That’s what we did together,” Phyllis said. All we did was take pills and go to appointments. “For months, it was all about keeping her alive, even though she was in pain. But Phyllis didn’t want her mother to feel like a burden, so she didn’t mention it. Jeanette’s sister received MAID a couple of years earlier. The option of assisted death had already occurred to Phyllis. I was working at something that I love, not at something I hated, you know?” And so when I did all this work, I realized I wasn’t lazy. Even when I was young, my brother used to accuse me of being lazy. “I used to think I was lazy because I hated housework. “I’ve never thought of that because, you know, your life is in pieces. I was looking back and I realize that I’ve done a lot more than I thought I did,” she said, pausing to gather a breath. Jeanette said her family, which included several great-grandchildren, was her greatest pride. They are no longer youthful, so they are no longer useful.… This work is intended to be a celebration of these women.” “In our society, older women are devalued through gender bias, ageism and consumerism. “From the moment of birth to the moment of death, aging is inescapable,” read the exhibit notes. They were part of Jeanette’s 1995 solo exhibit called Women & Aging. She nodded to Don, and he turned on the camera.ĭuring the conversation, Phyllis and Jeanette sorted through the contents of five shallow wooden boxes on the table: dried orange rinds, dragon fruit peels, mango pits and other scraps, adorned with beadwork, paint and poetry. “Oh, that’s right!” Jeanette said with a laugh. Phyllis smiled and gently reminded her mom that she wouldn’t be around to see the story. She didn’t like looking at photos or videos of herself.
DEATH SAVED MY LIFE AIR DATE FULL
“Maybe a fall chicken, Mom,” Phyllis added.Īfter a few minutes of explanation, Jeanette said we could tell her story and use her full name on one condition - no cameras. She said her chest pain and fatigue had now subsided. Seated at the kitchen table beside her ever-present oxygen tank and walker, Jeanette apologized for delaying the meeting. Jeanette often told them she tried to live a good life. With visitors unable to pretend they’d see her again, we witnessed one funny, sad, tender exchange after another. As the day neared, and her remaining time and energy diminished, videographer Don Somers and I mainly stayed in the background, observing. Why did Jeanette choose assisted death? How did it feel to know the exact moment she would die? How did she spend those last weeks, hours, minutes?įormal interviews soon gave way to unstructured chats, with Jeanette often asking as many questions as she answered.
They aren’t aware a person can have control and dignity when they die, control over how they die.” “But sometimes I think people would want to go home. They have a right to that,” Jeanette said. “Some people think that they have to live until their illness takes them away. With greater awareness and acceptance, and possible expansion of criteria to include mental illness, medical experts say that trend will continue. Growing numbers of Canadians are choosing MAID, particularly in Saskatchewan. She said she was sharing her story because she wanted families, health professionals and lawmakers making decisions about medical assistance in dying (MAID) to see exactly what it’s like. Jeanette recently granted CBC News weeks of unrestricted access to her most intimate family moments, her medical appointments and ultimately, her assisted death.
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