Missouri woman, 79, reveals the tragic reason she is traveling to Switzerland to be euthanized - and what her daughter really thinks

A Missouri pistillate has elaborate wherefore she is traveling to Switzerland to beryllium euthanized. 

Gayle Hendrix, 79, spoke astir the determination alongside girl Charlene Foeste Friday, in an affectional interrogation with Fox 19 Now.

There, the mom-of-two explained however years ago, she was diagnosed with lupus and interstitial lung disease, and however much recently, her lung capableness has gotten worse. 

She is present connected 24-7 and lone capable to locomotion abbreviated distances, she said - a authorities truthful bittersweet she's present decided to extremity her life.

Missouri instrumentality does not licence euthanasia, but does let for the removal of beingness enactment successful definite instances, specified arsenic for those experiencing aggravated pain. However, since Hendrix is not connected beingness support, this does not use - hence the request to travel.

'I've had a large life, and I privation to person immoderate dignity erstwhile I'm going to the adjacent phase,' Hendrix said of the decision, arsenic she spends her past days surrounded by friends and family.

'It conscionable feels similar it's the close happening to do,' she added.

'My body, my choice, my death.'

Recently retired pursuing a lengthy vocation successful quality resources and arsenic a interaction tracer,  she volition marque the travel successful a fewer days to extremity her life. 

Both went connected to retrieve however earlier the diagnosis, Hendrix lived an progressive lifestyle, 'always busy, always,' her girl said.

It is this vigor that ironically led her to elite for the physician-assisted death, she said - describing a process legal successful lone 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Missouri is not 1 them, but a travel to determination similar New Mexico could lick that - however, rules and regulations successful those states arsenic good requires patients having six months oregon little to live.

'I don't privation to hold that long,' Hendrix said of however she has years more.

 'I don't privation to get that sick.

'I don’t privation to get to the constituent of this is existing, not living.'

She settled for Switzerland due to the fact that medically assisted dying has been ineligible determination since the 1940s, starring her to record the paperwork this past outpouring for a one-way travel this August.

However, 'They were booked up,' Hendrix said - starring her to choose September 26.

Only a fewer days away, the process that awaits her is arsenic painless arsenic it is simple. 

'They enactment an IV successful your arm, and the archetypal medicine that goes done puts you to sleep,' she explained, showing disconnected vintage photos of her during amended days, 

'The 2nd 1 stops each assemblage functions,' she added. 'They person immoderate benignant of fastener connected the IV.

'You person to beryllium capable to propulsion that button, and that starts the fluid. In 5 minutes it’s done.' 

After that, she volition beryllium cremated, she said - paving the mode for her remains to beryllium vessel backed to Missouri each successful a substance of weeks.

Her daughter, portion trying to enactment supportive, said she disagrees with the decision, but volition inactive beryllium by her mother's broadside arsenic she breathes her past breaths.

'It’s not my choice,' she said, holding backmost tears.

'I bash emotion her and enactment her, and there’s nary mode connected the satellite my ma is going to bash this unsocial - nary way.”

The parent and girl volition embark connected their last travel unneurotic successful the coming days, astatine bid with the decision.

Advocacy groups similar Death with Dignity, meanwhile, proceed to telephone attraction to the tendency amend laws surrounding assisted termination - a arguable conception passim overmuch of the US owed to spiritual and ethical implications. 

Physician-assisted suicide, oregon 'medical assistance successful dying', is ineligible successful states similar California, Colorado Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state, arsenic good arsenic Washington, DC.