Heather Black
Heather Black was a ‘born fighter’, who spent her life campaigning for the rights of others. But her own death was stripped of dignity.
Heather’s daughters are fighting in her memory, because they want assisted dying to be legalised in Scotland.
Heather had been a community worker in Edinburgh’s Muirhouse and a fierce campaigner for HIV/AIDS patients in the early days. She pleaded for stigmatised patients to be able to die with dignity.
Her own death was stripped of dignity.
After experiencing problems with her oesophagus for some time, she was eventually diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. Her final moments are almost too disturbing to describe, but these voices must be heard if we are to have an open and honest debate.
Heather’s daughters made the difficult decision to share the details of her death because they want assisted dying to be legalised in Scotland.
“There were hours of vomiting brown foam. We cut up downie covers, towels, pillow cases, muslin squares, using them to mop up constantly.
We had never seen her cry, but she cried a lot then.”
Heather repeatedly asked her daughters to help end her life.
Those last few days took an enormous toll: on Heather, obviously, but also on the sisters whose last memories of their mother are of panic, pain and helplessness.
