A 31-year-old Toronto disabled woman who was conditionally approved for a medically assisted death after an unsuccessful offer for safe housing says her life has been “changed” by a spill of support after explaining the its history.
“It’s … amazing and inspiring,” Denise said in a telephone interview.
Her voice sounded considerably louder than in April when she last spoke to CTV News about her pending approval for MAID, a decision she said she made because she had severe chemical sensitivities in an apartment full of smoke and fumes that made her sick.
He then told CTV News that he had spent months trying to secure a cleaner air-conditioned home and essentially surrendered and two doctors authorized him as a qualification for an assisted death.
But now he has found a temporary home, he is no longer fighting for every breath and his MAID application is on hold.
Following the story, which attracted worldwide attention, supporters created a GoFundMe campaign that has now amassed more than $ 65,000 in donations from nearly 1,000 people along with countless emails of encouragement.
“They’re strangers who say they don’t want this to happen. I’m even struggling to find the words,” Denise said.
He says he now lives in a hotel room in Toronto that uses odorless cleaning chemicals and has windows that open into a ravine, providing fresh air.
“I no longer focus only on survival,” he told CTV News. “Mentally, I’m clearer to put things in place to make life more livable.”
He is working to find long-term subsidized housing and hopes to help other people with chemical sensitivities.
The “irreparable suffering” that qualified her for a medically assisted death was fixed, said Dr. Riina Bray, medical director of the Environmental Health Clinic at Toronto Women’s College Hospital and one of Denise’s doctors.
“He says these patients can easily return to well-being if they are offered the right environment to live in. It’s a simple equation,” he said.
Denise, who asked CTV News not to use her real name to protect her identity, was diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), which triggers rashes, shortness of breath and blinding headaches.
Research shows that people with multiple chemical sensitivities often improve in chemically cleaner environments.
He also uses a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury six years ago.
But her only income comes from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which pays $ 1,169 a month plus $ 50 for a special diet. This made it impossible for Denise to pay for a better apartment away from the smoke and chemicals.
When repeated requests for subsidized apartments in healthier places went unanswered by housing officials, she applied for AIDS, “essentially because of extreme poverty,” she told CTV News at in April.
She was approved by two doctors and a third asked for documentation on the preparations for the funeral.
Denise’s supporters are asking for a closer look at how and why she was approved for the maid when what she needed was housing that did not aggravate her symptoms.
“We’re asking for an investigation … into doctors who misapply the law (MAID),” said David Fancy, a professor at Brock University and one of Denise’s supporters.
Denise says doctors who offered medical assistance to die discussed her suffering, not the solutions. “During the evaluation, he focused very little on what services he had, what he needed to achieve a certain level of normalcy. Nothing was offered in terms of support,” he said.
The Well Earth collaboration, which is raising funds for Denise, is also applying for funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation to build special housing for people with environmental sensitivities, with a 50-acre plot in a rural area. north of Toronto identified as a possible site.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a disability recognized under the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is believed to be caused by exposure to chemicals or other environmental exposures that cause physical symptoms, although it is a controversial diagnosis in the medical community.
Its story is disturbingly similar to that reported by CTV News in early April. Sophia also suffered from multiple chemical sensitivities. He received a medically assisted death in February, after many attempts to keep an apartment away from smoke and chemicals from his building.
Canadian statistics suggest that at least 700,000 people in the country are sensitive to chemicals.