Joanne Easton

“Some of the methods my dad looked into were brutal.” Joanne’s dad spent his final weeks afraid of a traumatic death.

Robert Easton, a retired firefighter from Hamilton, died from pancreatic cancer the day before his 70th birthday. Robert’s daughter, Joanne, describes how he desperately wanted choice in how he died, and researched ways he could end his own life.

“Some of the methods were brutal. Dying people should not be forced to consider going into the woods with a length of rope. They should not have to think about stepping in front of trains. It took him three weeks to die, in hospital then hospice. It was so drawn-out. I thought; I need to get him drugs.

I would have done anything for him. But it was too risky; I didn’t know what would happen.

After dad died we found torn-out pages from his sketchbook. He had drawn the Grim Reaper and written next to it “I’m afraid, I’m not afraid” over and over. All he wanted was the chance and control to end his own life when he wanted to.

I regret not giving him that choice.

I need to live with that for the rest of my life. I hope this bill passes so no family has to go through what mine has.”