A 79-year-old Missouri woman with a terminal illness is planning an overseas trip to Switzerland for assisted suicide.
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While speaking to KFVS, Gayle Hendrix, a mother of two from Cape Girardeau, revealed she has been struggling with lupus and interstitial lung disease for the past four years. Although she’s managing her terminal illness, Hendrix says she wants to have an assisted suicide.
“My friends will say, ‘But you don’t look or sound or act like somebody who is near death.’” she explained. “But I am dying, and that’s what I want to control. I don’t want to get to the point of, ‘This is existing, not living.’”
Hendrix also said that she’s currently tied to an oxygen machine and is only able to walk short distances. “I’ve had a great life, and I want to have some dignity when I’m going to the next phase.”
Hendrix’s daughter, Charlene Foeste, pointed out that she was always active and busy before her diagnoses. “She always either had three jobs or she was going somewhere, like to concerts or festivals,” Foeste explained. “She was always busy, always.”
Hendrix also revealed that before her terminal illness, she loved hiking, traveling, walking, and biking. “I would love to say I was a poet, a painter, and a musician … I have nothing in that arena,” Hendrix continued. “So I think that’s why I took up walking because I can walk. I was an avid walker, anywhere from 3 to 5 miles a day … every day up until about 3 years ago.”
Her former active lifestyle helped her quickly realize she was sick. “My shortness of breath kept getting worse and worse,” Hendrix shared. “Even on flat surfaces, I was breathing heavy.”
The Terminally Ill Woman Has Been a Longtime Advocate of Assisted Suicide
While speaking about her opinion on assisted suicide, Hendrix stated she has been a longtime advocate for the end-of-life approach.
“It just feels like it’s the right thing to do,” Hendrix said. “People are not comfortable talking about death.”
Although she doesn’t agree with her mother’s decision, Foeste remains supportive. “My mom and I are opposites — we really are on everything — we always have been,” she said. “My mom has always walked to her own beat. You know, you don’t have to agree with people, you don’t, but you do have to love and support people.”
Foeste described her mother as a very realistic person. “She always hit issues and problems head-on. It is going to be hard, but I know that, and I know sort of what to expect and what the end result is going to be for sure.”
Hendrix added she wanted to do assisted suicide before she was unable to do so. “When I started seeing more and more decline, like monthly, I can tell this is not as good as it was last month. I knew then, if I wanted to do it when I’m still able to walk in and still make the trip, then I need to do it soon.”
Currently, there are several states in the. U.S. that allows assisted suicide. However, the majority have residency requirements. Oregon and Vermont, which allow assisted suicide for those who don’t live within their state, mandate that a person has to have six months or less to live.