by Go Gentle Australia (2016)
As she was dying of cancer in 2015, 90-year-old Eileen Dawe kept a diary. Despite her clearly stated wish to die she was forced to endure 17 painful weeks until the disease finally took her. Hoping to hasten nature’s course, she began to starve herself to death.
In her diary she wrote, ‘My country’s laws decree “Death by a thousand cuts for me”.’
Eileen’s is one of 72 testimonies in this book that describe with horrifying clarity the damage that was done across Australia in the absence of laws for voluntary assisted dying. Written by sons, daughters, husbands, wives, partners, and friends, as well as the dying themselves, they detail trauma and suffering on a staggering scale.
A PDF copy of the ebook is available at no cost from the GoGentle website. Download it here.
If you would like a large print or a physical copy, books, please email [email protected] or call them on 0468 464 360.
Please note: The contents of The Damage Done are explicit and emotionally powerful. They may be challenging and disturbing, particularly to readers dealing with grief after the death of a loved one. We advise those readers to consider whether they should seek support or even delay reading the testimonies contained in this book. If this upsets you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or seek additional support.