Toronto Woman Files For Medically Assisted Death After Long Term Financial Devastation From Covid 19

Thompson, a Toronto resident in her 50s, says her ongoing illness and lack of meaningful financial support led her to begin the process of applying for medical assistance in dying (MAiD), a process that first became legal in Canada in 2016.
“[MAiD] it’s purely financial consideration,” he told CTV News Toronto.
After 26 months of lost income since the onset of symptoms, no predictable ability to work and no support, Thompson said she expects to run out of money in about five months.
“My options are basically to die slowly and painfully or quickly.  Those are the remaining options,” he said.
In addition to severe fatigue, Thompson lists a number of symptoms she has developed from long-term COVID: she can no longer read books or write more than a Tweet;  Her vision usually begins to blur at sunset.  It is difficult for her to digest food.  Her taste and smell have changed.  Some days, the oxygen exchange in her lungs is compromised, making it difficult to breathe.  Scars mark her heart from the swelling she experienced from myocarditis.
A year after Thompson became ill, MAiD legislation was revised in Canada.  Previously, only those whose natural death was reasonably foreseeable – otherwise known as Track One patients – could apply for MAiD.  For example, terminally ill patients.
Legislation amended in March 2021 led to the creation of a Track Two patient.  Now, a Canadian enduring an “intolerable” and “irreversible” illness, disease or disability that may not be near the natural end of life may also qualify for assisted dying.
The most recent data from Health Canada shows that 7,595 Canadians chose medically assisted deaths in 2020 – accounting for 2.5 per cent of the country’s deaths.  This marks an increase of more than 34 percent over the previous year.
However, in 2020, only patients who had a reasonably foreseeable death were eligible for MAiD.  Since then, the pool of applicants has grown significantly.

‘NO TREATMENT’ 
Before Thompson contracted COVID-19, she was working as a chef in Toronto.
Her job was long hours filled with quick decisions and physical strain.  Now, she says deciding whether to get up and fill a glass of water can derail her day.
“From being fit and busy to basically being bedridden.  I can’t get up for an average of 20+ hours.  I have very little ability to expend energy physically, mentally and emotionally, so I try to stay home all the time,” she said.
It’s not like Thompson wants to die.  In fact, he still appreciates the little bursts of joy in life.
“I am very happy to be alive.  I’m still enjoying life.  The birds chirping, the little things that make up a day are still pleasant to me, they are still enjoyable.  I still enjoy my friends,” he said.
“There is much to enjoy in life, even if it is short.”
However, a world where Thompson can’t access an income she doesn’t think she’ll survive.
“I don’t relish the idea of ​​suffering for months to come to the same conclusion.  When there is no support, things are not going to change,” he said.
“It seems absurd to put myself through this just to die at the end.”
Since Thompson’s illness is not clearly described in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which currently grants a single applicant a maximum of $1,169 a month, she believes it could take years for her to qualify — something to which many Ontarians have applied.  the program says it’s not unusual.  Even if Thompson qualified, she says the full amount of monthly support would, at best, cover her rent.
“That would be my entire living budget,” he said.
So far, Thompson has sought a doctor’s approval for MAiD and is waiting to hear from a second specialist.  To be considered, an applicant needs two independent doctors or nurses to confirm they meet the criteria.  This is accompanied by a written request for MAiD signed by the person making it.
The applicant has until the moment before the procedure to withdraw his consent.  Ultimately, once the criteria are met, the decision is in their hands.
While Thompson is still working on the necessary steps, she is confident she will receive approval.
“As far as I know, I would qualify.  I am very sick.”
“There is no treatment.  There is no treatment.  You don’t have to be terminally ill,” he said.

‘A DIFFERENT LIFE’ 
While Thompson is currently eligible for MAiD, there is a new group of Canadians who will be able to apply in a few months.
As of March 17, 2023, applicants with mental illness as their only underlying medical condition will be eligible for MAiD in Canada.
Mitchell Tremblay has already written his letter for consideration.
“Since I was 18, I was in the system,” Tremblay, now 39, told CTV News Toronto.  “I never had roots.  I never had a chance to heal.”
At 17, he received a number of mental health diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) generalized anxiety disorder and a major depressive disorder.
The following year, a few days before his eighteenth birthday, his parents kicked him out of the house.
“My parents didn’t believe any of it,” he said.  “If there had been help, I would have had a completely different life.”
For nearly 15 years, Tremblay has been with ODSP.  At first, he said the roughly $1,000 was enough to live on.  With a gradual change since then, he said he can barely survive.
“I’ve basically been living on the same amount since 2008,” he said.  “I’ve been homeless so many times I can’t keep track.”
Looking back, Tremblay said if he had financial and emotional support, even just 10 years ago, he could have had a “completely different life.”

“SADLY INADEQUATE” 
Dr. Naheed Dosani, a Toronto palliative care physician and head of health equity at Kensington Health, said many people choosing to pursue MAiD after the recent review are doing so to relieve their pain.
But it can be difficult to analyze the root of the pain, he says.
“One of the things that becomes very difficult to tease out is when the suffering is related to the fact that people don’t have shelter or food, and how it’s so hard to separate that from suffering related to a medical condition,” he said.
“My concern is that we are creating a situation where it is easier for people to choose to die from MAiD than to choose to live well because society does not offer them adequate access to money, housing, food security and social support,” added Dosani.  .
Lack of affordable housing and financial support does not qualify a patient for assisted dying, but Dr.  Stefanie Green, MD, MAiD in Victoria, BC, said such complexities can contribute to a person’s suffering.
“Suffering is one of the elements required for eligibility for MAiD, so it is impossible to exclude these issues when assessing someone,” he said.
As an MAiD practitioner, Green said it’s part of her job to assess the issues contributing to a person’s suffering and try to seek out, inform and deploy the limited resources available.
“Our health system is woefully inadequate to serve our population with these resources,” Green said.  “But I don’t think we can hold these patients hostage.”
There are cases where an assisted death is appropriate, said Dr. Harriette Van Spall, a physician in Hamilton, Ont.  participate in MAiD research.  “But when it’s related to socioeconomic status, living conditions, loneliness or manageable symptom control, it’s tragic for people to have to choose MAiD,” he said.
Van Spall said part of the problem is that society has become transactional to the point where we view some lives as more valuable than others.
“We have to be careful that we don’t implement laws that inadvertently help people end their lives because they don’t feel valued or respected or owned,” he said.
As Thompson takes steps toward assisted dying, she says she is mindful of how MAiD and access to assisted dying intersect with marginalized groups in society.
“The government as a body is telling people that they are willing to help them to death because they don’t have enough money to live with dignity.  That’s a pretty clear message to me that unless you’re skilled or capable enough to work to make a profit, then you don’t belong here,” Thompson said.
“That seems pretty clear to me.” 

title: “Toronto Woman Files For Medically Assisted Death After Long Term Financial Devastation From Covid 19 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Thomas Mason”

Thompson, a Toronto resident in her 50s, says her ongoing illness and lack of meaningful financial support led her to begin the process of applying for medical assistance in dying (MAiD), a process that first became legal in Canada in 2016.
“[MAiD] it’s purely financial consideration,” he told CTV News Toronto.
After 26 months of lost income since the onset of symptoms, no predictable ability to work and no support, Thompson said she expects to run out of money in about five months.
“My options are basically to die slowly and painfully or quickly.  Those are the remaining options,” he said.
In addition to severe fatigue, Thompson lists a number of symptoms she has developed from long-term COVID: she can no longer read books or write more than a Tweet;  Her vision usually begins to blur at sunset.  It is difficult for her to digest food.  Her taste and smell have changed.  Some days, the oxygen exchange in her lungs is compromised, making it difficult to breathe.  Scars mark her heart from the swelling she experienced from myocarditis.
A year after Thompson became ill, MAiD legislation was revised in Canada.  Previously, only those whose natural death was reasonably foreseeable – otherwise known as Track One patients – could apply for MAiD.  For example, terminally ill patients.
Legislation amended in March 2021 led to the creation of a Track Two patient.  Now, a Canadian enduring an “intolerable” and “irreversible” illness, disease or disability that may not be near the natural end of life may also qualify for assisted dying.
The most recent data from Health Canada shows that 7,595 Canadians chose medically assisted deaths in 2020 – accounting for 2.5 per cent of the country’s deaths.  This marks an increase of more than 34 percent over the previous year.
However, in 2020, only patients who had a reasonably foreseeable death were eligible for MAiD.  Since then, the pool of applicants has grown significantly.

‘NO TREATMENT’ 
Before Thompson contracted COVID-19, she was working as a chef in Toronto.
Her job was long hours filled with quick decisions and physical strain.  Now, she says deciding whether to get up and fill a glass of water can derail her day.
“From being fit and busy to basically being bedridden.  I can’t get up for an average of 20+ hours.  I have very little ability to expend energy physically, mentally and emotionally, so I try to stay home all the time,” she said.
It’s not like Thompson wants to die.  In fact, he still appreciates the little bursts of joy in life.
“I am very happy to be alive.  I’m still enjoying life.  The birds chirping, the little things that make up a day are still pleasant to me, they are still enjoyable.  I still enjoy my friends,” he said.
“There is much to enjoy in life, even if it is short.”
However, a world where Thompson can’t access an income she doesn’t think she’ll survive.
“I don’t relish the idea of ​​suffering for months to come to the same conclusion.  When there is no support, things are not going to change,” he said.
“It seems absurd to put myself through this just to die at the end.”
Since Thompson’s illness is not clearly described in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which currently grants a single applicant a maximum of $1,169 a month, she believes it could take years for her to qualify — something to which many Ontarians have applied.  the program says it’s not unusual.  Even if Thompson qualified, she says the full amount of monthly support would, at best, cover her rent.
“That would be my entire living budget,” he said.
So far, Thompson has sought a doctor’s approval for MAiD and is waiting to hear from a second specialist.  To be considered, an applicant needs two independent doctors or nurses to confirm they meet the criteria.  This is accompanied by a written request for MAiD signed by the person making it.
The applicant has until the moment before the procedure to withdraw his consent.  Ultimately, once the criteria are met, the decision is in their hands.
While Thompson is still working on the necessary steps, she is confident she will receive approval.
“As far as I know, I would qualify.  I am very sick.”
“There is no treatment.  There is no treatment.  You don’t have to be terminally ill,” he said.

‘A DIFFERENT LIFE’ 
While Thompson is currently eligible for MAiD, there is a new group of Canadians who will be able to apply in a few months.
As of March 17, 2023, applicants with mental illness as their only underlying medical condition will be eligible for MAiD in Canada.
Mitchell Tremblay has already written his letter for consideration.
“Since I was 18, I was in the system,” Tremblay, now 39, told CTV News Toronto.  “I never had roots.  I never had a chance to heal.”
At 17, he received a number of mental health diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) generalized anxiety disorder and a major depressive disorder.
The following year, a few days before his eighteenth birthday, his parents kicked him out of the house.
“My parents didn’t believe any of it,” he said.  “If there had been help, I would have had a completely different life.”
For nearly 15 years, Tremblay has been with ODSP.  At first, he said the roughly $1,000 was enough to live on.  With a gradual change since then, he said he can barely survive.
“I’ve basically been living on the same amount since 2008,” he said.  “I’ve been homeless so many times I can’t keep track.”
Looking back, Tremblay said if he had financial and emotional support, even just 10 years ago, he could have had a “completely different life.”

“SADLY INADEQUATE” 
Dr. Naheed Dosani, a Toronto palliative care physician and head of health equity at Kensington Health, said many people choosing to pursue MAiD after the recent review are doing so to relieve their pain.
But it can be difficult to analyze the root of the pain, he says.
“One of the things that becomes very difficult to tease out is when the suffering is related to the fact that people don’t have shelter or food, and how it’s so hard to separate that from suffering related to a medical condition,” he said.
“My concern is that we are creating a situation where it is easier for people to choose to die from MAiD than to choose to live well because society does not offer them adequate access to money, housing, food security and social support,” added Dosani.  .
Lack of affordable housing and financial support does not qualify a patient for assisted dying, but Dr.  Stefanie Green, MD, MAiD in Victoria, BC, said such complexities can contribute to a person’s suffering.
“Suffering is one of the elements required for eligibility for MAiD, so it is impossible to exclude these issues when assessing someone,” he said.
As an MAiD practitioner, Green said it’s part of her job to assess the issues contributing to a person’s suffering and try to seek out, inform and deploy the limited resources available.
“Our health system is woefully inadequate to serve our population with these resources,” Green said.  “But I don’t think we can hold these patients hostage.”
There are cases where an assisted death is appropriate, said Dr. Harriette Van Spall, a physician in Hamilton, Ont.  participate in MAiD research.  “But when it’s related to socioeconomic status, living conditions, loneliness or manageable symptom control, it’s tragic for people to have to choose MAiD,” he said.
Van Spall said part of the problem is that society has become transactional to the point where we view some lives as more valuable than others.
“We have to be careful that we don’t implement laws that inadvertently help people end their lives because they don’t feel valued or respected or owned,” he said.
As Thompson takes steps toward assisted dying, she says she is mindful of how MAiD and access to assisted dying intersect with marginalized groups in society.
“The government as a body is telling people that they are willing to help them to death because they don’t have enough money to live with dignity.  That’s a pretty clear message to me that unless you’re skilled or capable enough to work to make a profit, then you don’t belong here,” Thompson said.
“That seems pretty clear to me.”