A Canadian woman’s grueling fight against long COVID has robbed her of her life savings, the ability to get out of bed and the simple joys of life, forcing her to seek assisted suicide, according to a report.
Tracey Thompson, 55, of Toronto, applied for the country’s legal euthanasia program after it became clear that her life with the incurable disease would not improve.
“My quality of life with this disease is almost non-existent, it’s not a good life,” he told DailyMail.
“I’m doing nothing. It’s painfully boring. “It is deeply isolating.”
Thompson has spent about 22 hours every day painfully stuck in bed since contracting the novel coronavirus that first swept the world in 2020.
In addition to suffering from an onslaught of symptoms that have left her unable to cook or even read, Thompson has been living on pennies since she lost her job shortly after contracting COVID.
With the overwhelming expectation that she will soon be out of money and unable to support herself, Thompson applied in December 2022 for Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), a program that allows people to end their lives if they They suffer from an incurable disease. .
MAID first became legal in 2016 for terminally ill patients, but was expanded just a year after Thompson fell ill to include people suffering from an “intolerable” and “irreversible” illness, disease or disability despite not being nearby. of the end of his natural life.
Canadian woman Tracey Thompson requested legal euthanasia due to long COVID. Tracey Thompson/Instagram
Thompson gradually became sicker after contracting COVID, experiencing a decline in his cognitive abilities, difficulty breathing, and inability to exercise or exert much energy.
Thompson, once a professional chef, now only takes various medications and a meal replacement shake because long COVID has caused her to become “allergic to everything.”
Mustering up enough energy to go to the bathroom is “the most important part of my day,” she told the outlet.
Even reading, watching TV or listening to music while stuck in bed has been nearly impossible because her brain fog has become so severe that she “can’t process information.”
Thompson said his quality of life since having long COVID is “almost nonexistent.” Tracey Thompson/Instagram
Thompson spends every day alone: she was forced to give up her dog when it became clear she barely had the strength to care for herself.
“Then I wake up and do it all over again,” he said.
On a good day, Thompson can successfully sit in his chair and scroll on his computer, and twice a month he walks around the block.
She has spent her life savings paying for housing, food and medical treatments, all of which have been incredibly expensive.
Since his long COVID diagnosis, Thompson has also been diagnosed with a host of other illnesses, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), and activation syndrome of mast cells (MCAS).
Thompson told CTV News Toronto that his decision to end his life was primarily “a financial consideration” due to his difficult circumstances, not to fulfill his dying wish.
“I am very happy to be alive. I still enjoy life. The birds sing, the little things that make up a day are still pleasant to me, they are still pleasant. “I still enjoy my friends,” he told the outlet in July 2022.
“There is a lot to enjoy in life, even if it is little.”
Thompson was unable to share the status of his application with MAID, citing legal restrictions on disclosing the details.
More than 13,200 people died through MAID in 2022, accounting for 4.1% of all deaths in Canada, data shows.
Thompson has spent about 22 hours in bed every day due to his constant pain. GoFundMe
The program has been controversial since it was unveiled and has become more controversial as it has expanded to include more groups.
Canada recently came under fire for considering adding another subsector of the population to be eligible: terminally ill minors.
The change would allow euthanasia of those under 18, a procedure that current policy blocks.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn