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Age 61-70

Interview 15

Interview 15

Age at Interview: 68
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 57
Background: Teacher (retired), married, 2 children

Brief outline:Breast cancer diagnosed in 1992, followed by a lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Sarcoma diagnosed in 2000, followed by double mastectomy.

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She likes the idea of a pill she could take to end her life if she were in pain and clearly dying.
Print I do like the idea of being able to take a pill if you've got to the end of the line and you're in a lot of pain and discomfort. So from that point of view yes but I still feel you've got to be well... you've got to be well enough and able to do it yourself, not to ask somebody else to do it for you. There's a big debate about that isn't there, euthanasia and - Yes. - mercy killing. Yes. It's very difficult if you can't do it yourself but I think you cannot put that sort of pressure on one of your nearest and dearest to do it for you. I can understand why the people go out to Switzerland where somebody they don't know can give them the fatal overdose. But I still think you're putting pressure on somebody else to do something, for you. Have you ever thought what you might do in a situation like that? I think I'd just have to get on with it quite honestly, and I think if I was going to do it myself I think I would have to tell my family as well and get them to agree. If it got to that it would have to be at a point where I could see there was no return, that there was nothing could be done and it was just down hill and it was just going to be pain and then the death at the end of it. To just go quietly to sleep and just lose all that pain and angst. It really does appeal. I must admit.

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