Woman with disabilities nears medically assisted death after futile bid for affordable housing
Posted: Mon May 02, 2022 9:36 pm
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/woman-wit ... 0001a2cd2a
A 31-year-old Toronto woman who uses a wheelchair is nearing final approval for a medically assisted death request after a fruitless bid to secure an affordable apartment that doesn't worsen her chronic illnesses.
The looming approval for death surprisingly, makes her grateful. "Relieved and elated," Denise said in an interview with CTV News. "I was scared that they weren't going to say ‘yes’," she said.
Denise asked us not to use her real name to protect her identity.
She was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), which triggers rashes, difficulty breathing, and blinding headaches called hemiplegic migraines that cause her temporary paralysis.
The chemicals that make her sick, said Denise, are cigarette smoke, laundry chemicals, and air fresheners. She is at risk of anaphylactic shock and so has EpiPens at all times in case she has a life-threatening allergic attack.
Denise is also a wheelchair user after a spinal cord injury six years ago and has other chronic illnesses.
She desperately wants to move to an apartment that’s wheelchair accessible and has cleaner air. But her only income is from Ontario’s Disability Support Program (ODSP). She receives a total of $1,169 a month plus $50 for a special diet. "I've applied for MAiD essentially...because of abject poverty," she said.