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Multiple Sclerosis sufferer calls for change in UK euthanasia laws
A MULTIPLE Sclerosis sufferer is calling for a change in UK euthanasia laws so he can die with dignity in his own home.
Chris Handley, 55, of Links Way, Croxley Green, has lived with the degenerative disease for the past 15 years.
He said: "Out of the blue one morning, I woke up blind. My eyesight slowly came back but I went to hospital for a scan which discovered I had a mild form of MS.
"Then about six years ago, I collapsed when I was walking the dog, and my condition has steadily worsened. Now, my hip muscles have gone and I'm in an electric wheelchair."
Mr Handley, a former self-employed mechanic and keen motorcyclist, says his days are now mundane and routine: "My carers usually get me out of bed about 9am, then I sit in a nearby café and have a couple of drinks, before I am collected and back in bed again by 2pm. That pretty much sums up my life now.
"I have lost my independence and feel extremely frustrated and helpless, I can't do anything for myself any more."
"However, I can make decisions, and I think I should have the right to say when I am ready to go, while I am still of sound mind."
Euthanasia is illegal in Britain but not in some European countries, such as Sweden and Finland, where doctors are not prosecuted for assisted suicide.
Earlier this year, MS sufferer Debbie Purdy received legal clarification that her husband would not be prosecuted if he accompanied her to the Dignitas Clinic, in Switzerland.
One of four siblings, Mr Handley is married to wife, Janet, with three children between them.
He said: "I don't want them to have any part in it. They understand how I feel but there is never a right time to go.
"I have enjoyed my life and I want to end it at home. A lot of people might disagree but they are not in my situation."
Chris Bentley, spokesman for the MS Society, said: "The MS Society has a neutral stance on assisted suicide.
"We have argued for more resources for palliative care and better training for health and social care professionals around caring for someone nearing the end of their life.
"There is a big difference between someone with MS deciding they no longer want to live, having explored all care options, and someone wishing to die because they aren't being offered the right support.
Mr Bentley added: "There is still a long way to go before palliative care offered to people with MS is the best it can be; this can lead to people with MS believing they are a burden on family, friends and society in general."
For more information on accessing palliative care and independent living, call the MS Society's freephone helpline on 0808 800 8000 or visit www.mssociety.org.uk.
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