As a nurse, I witnessed the intolerable and unnecessarily prolonged and inhumane suffering of some individuals. I will never forget the feelings of hopelessness that besieged us as nurses whilst having to stand helplessly by a patient dying in agony and all we could offer was a hand for them to hold.

As a mature age student, I completed a Master of Bioethics and studied the topic of VAD with avid interest.

I have experienced the torment of witnessing my beautiful parents suffering tortuous deaths. My mother died from Motor Neurone Disease several years ago and last year my father succumbed to an equally horrendous death. Their deaths have left hideous and indelible scars upon all of us that loved them.

As a result of my mother’s death I became a staunch, vocal and active advocate for the Victorian VAD Legislation. I witnessed the entire Parliamentary process and even sat through every minute of the Parliamentary all-nighters!

I feel privileged to be a Board member of DWDV not simply because I believe in the principle of dying with dignity but because I fervently and passionately believe that every individual has the right to be afforded choice in end-of-life issues. No human should have to die in horrific circumstances similar to my parents and no child should be left haunted by the lasting images of a dearly loved one suffering inhumanely.