Tired of battling long COVID, woman applies for assisted suicide
A woman in Canada has reportedly applied for assisted suicide after losing the ability to enjoy simple things in life due to her ongoing battle with long COVID or post-COVID-19 conditions. In an interview with DailyMail, Tracey Thompson said, "My quality of life with this illness is almost nonexistent; it's not a good life. I don't do anything. It is painfully boring."
Thompson's struggles with long COVID
According to the New York Post, the 55-year-old has spent nearly 22 hours every day stuck in bed since she contracted the novel coronavirus when it first swept across the world back in 2020. Besides suffering several symptoms that have left her unable to read or even cook for herself, Thompson has been living off pennies since losing her job soon after testing positive for COVID-19.
Know about Thompson's health condition
Thompson, who once was a professional chef, has blown through her life savings to pay for food, housing, and her medical treatments, which have proven extremely expensive. Since testing positive for long COVID, the 55-year-old from Toronto has also been diagnosed with other illnesses like myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and mast cell activation syndrome, among others.
Financial considerations behind Thompson's euthanasia application
Fearful that she would soon run out of money to sustain herself, Thompson applied to Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in December 2022. Under this program, individuals are permitted to end their lives if they are experiencing an incurable disease. MAiD first became legal in 2016 for terminal patients but has since expanded to include individuals enduring an "irreversible" and "intolerable" illness, disability, or disease despite not nearing the end of their natural life.
Controversy surrounding Canada's MAiD program
Since its unveiling, the program has been fraught with controversy, and it has only grown more so as it has expanded to include more groups. Canada recently faced a lot of backlash for considering adding "terminally ill minors" to the eligibility list. This change would allow those under the age of 18 to be euthanized, a procedure the current policy blocks. More than 13,200 people died via MAID in 2022.
What is long COVID
Long COVID is defined as signs, symptoms, and conditions that persist or develop following an acute COVID-19 infection. People with long COVID can experience a wide range of symptoms lasting for weeks, months, or even years, but it does not affect everyone the same way. However, people who experience long COVID most commonly report tiredness or fatigue, fever, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, fast-beating or pounding hearts, and changes in smell or taste, among many others.
