79-year-old Missouri woman reveals tragic reason she travels to Switzerland for euthanasia – and what her daughter really thinks

A woman from Missouri has explained in detail why she is traveling to Switzerland for euthanasia.

Gayle Hendrix, 79, spoke about the decision in an emotional interview with Fox 19 Now on Friday along with her daughter Charlene Foeste.

There, the mother of two children explained that she had been diagnosed with lupus and interstitial lung disease years ago and that her lung capacity had recently deteriorated.

She said she was now dependent on alcohol around the clock and could only walk short distances – a situation so sad that she had now decided to end her life.

Missouri law does not allow euthanasia, but does allow withdrawal of life support in certain cases, such as severe pain. But since Hendrix is ​​not on life support, that does not apply – hence the need for the trip.

The woman from Missouri spoke about the decision in an emotional interview with Fox 19 Now together with her daughter Charlene Foeste.

“I've had a great life and I want to move on to the next phase of my life with some dignity,” Hendrix said of her decision as she spends her final days surrounded by friends and family.

“It just feels like the right thing to do,” she added.

“My body, my decision, my death.”

She recently retired after a long career in human resources and as a contact tracer, and in a few days she will begin her journey to end her life.

Both recalled that before the diagnosis, Hendrix had an active lifestyle and was “always busy, always,” her daughter said.

Ironically, it was this enthusiasm that led her to choose physician-assisted suicide, she said – describing a procedure that is legal in only ten states and the District of Columbia.

Missouri is not one of them, but a trip to New Mexico, for example, could solve this problem – but the laws and regulations in these states also state that patients have six months or less to live.

“I've had a great life and I want to have some dignity in the next phase,” Hendrix said of her decision as she spends her final days surrounded by friends and family. She will die by physician-assisted suicide on September 26.

“I don't want to wait that long,” Hendrix said of the fact that she still has years to live.

“I don’t want to get that sick.”

“I don’t want to get to the point where it’s about existence and not about life.”

She chose Switzerland because physician-assisted dying has been legal there since the 1940s, and so last spring she submitted the documents for a one-way trip in August of this year.

However, “they were fully booked,” Hendrix said, which led them to choose September 26.

Only a few days left and the procedure she is about to undergo will be as painless as it is simple.

“They put an IV in your arm and the first medicine you get makes you sleepy,” she explained, showing old photos of her from better days.

“The second one stops all body functions,” she added. “There's a kind of button attached to the infusion.”

Her daughter supports the decision but says she does not agree with it but will still be by her mother's side when she takes her last breath.

She chose Switzerland because physician-assisted dying has been legal there since the 1940s. “I am simply happy with my decision and it is the right thing for me and my body,” she said, after being barely able to move or breathe due to lupus.

“You have to be able to push that button and the fluid starts flowing. It's done in five minutes.”

She will then be cremated, she said, which will allow her remains to be shipped back to Missouri within a few weeks.

Her daughter tried to continue to support her, but said that she did not agree with the decision but would still be by her mother's side when she took her last breath.

“It’s not my decision,” she said, holding back tears.

“I love and support her, and there is no way my mother can do this alone – no way.”

In these days, mother and daughter will embark on their final journey together, at peace with their decision.

Meanwhile, advocacy groups such as Death with Dignity continue to raise awareness of the desire to change laws on assisted suicide – a concept that is controversial in much of the United States due to religious and ethical implications.

Physician-assisted suicide, or “medical aid in dying,” is legal in states such as California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington State, and Washington, DC.