Heartbreaking final words healthy mum said during ‘goodbye’ call before assisted death

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and assisted dying, which some readers may find distressing.

A woman who made the decision to seek assisted dying and ended her life at a clinic in Switzerland made a final call to a journalist who had told her story to say goodbye.

56-year-old Wendy Duffy was physically healthy and of sound mind when she took her life at Pegasos, a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland, and had previously explained to Jenny Johnston of the Daily Mail her reasons for seeking assisted dying.

Hours before her death she had a goodbye call with Johnston who wrote in the Mail that Wendy had told her at the end of their call: "Onwards and upwards. Ta-ra, Flower."

During the call Wendy said she was 'going out with a bit of a bang', and that she kept having to charge her phone because so many people had been calling her to say goodbye.

She'd also packed up her things to 'leave it neat' for staff, since the personal belongings she took with her to Switzerland since Pegasos can't return the belongings of a foreign national to their family, so donate it to an animal shelter.

Wendy said the death of her son Marcus had been 'agony', and that medication and therapy had not helped (GoFundMe)

Wendy had also told Johnston that she wouldn't be getting more sleep as there would be 'plenty of time to sleep where I am going', but before then she would be going for breakfast to get her money's worth from the buffet.

In previous conversations Wendy had said she had been left heartbroken by the death of her son Marcus, who had tragically died at the age of 23.

She'd previously told the Mail: “I want to die, and that's what I'm going to do. My life; my choice.”

Having spoken about her experience to shed light on the 'unfairness' of the situation where she cannot seek assisted dying in the UK, Wendy said her decision would be 'hard for everyone' but she would go through her final moments with a smile on her face.

She planned to go out listening to the Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars song 'Die With A Smile', and to be holding one of her son's t-shirts that still 'smelt of him'.

Wendy said 'Onwards and upwards. Ta-ra, Flower' to the journalist who'd told her story, and said she'd packed her things to 'leave it neat' for the staff dealing with her luggage (Pegasos)

Ruedi Habegger, Pegasos founder, said: "I can confirm that Wendy Duffy, at her own request, was assisted to die on April 24 and that the procedure was completed without incident and in full compliance with her wishes.

"I can also confirm that neither we nor any of the professional staff assessing her mental capacity had any doubt as to her intention, understanding and independence of both thought and action.

"In historical terms at English law, hers was a case of 'sane suicide'."

According to the Swiss Penal Code someone granted permission to seek assisted dying must, as Wendy did, demonstrate the following:

• They must possess decision-making capacity
• They must have ‘control’ or ‘ownership of the action’ over their death
• The motive of anyone assisting the individual cannot be selfish.

Wendy's grief from the death of her son was deemed to meet the requirements to seek assisted dying and she proved herself to be of sound mind beforehand.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.

For advice, support, and more information, you can contact the nurse-led specialist team at Compassion in Dying via their helpline 0800 999 2434. You can also email them at [email protected].

Additionally, if you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.