Healthy mum, 56, ending life at Swiss clinic shares tragic details of how process works

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

A heartbroken mother has shared more details about her upcoming decision to travel to Switzerland for assisted suicide.

Euthanasia or assisted dying is still being discussed here in the UK but several Brits have flown over to Switzerland in recent years to end their lives, often due to tragic circumstances.

Back in 2024, Peter Scott and his wife Christine became the first UK residents to use Exit International's infamous, high-tech pod, even recording their final moments together.

Following a year-long application process, Wendy Duffy was recently granted permission to end her life at Pegasos clinic, four years on from the death of her son Marcus.

Wendy's only son Marcus passed away four years ago (GoFundMe)

Although she is physically healthy, the 56-year-old has struggled immensely with grief, describing her life as 'agony' since witnessing her son choking to death in their living room.

"You can take all the pills, you can go to all the counselling in the world – and I did," she explained to Mail Online.

"Ultimately, they can’t help you. They don’t have to live your life, and my life is agony."

Wendy explained that even though she isn't 'lonely', and is loved by her family, she finds it difficult to carry on living without her son.

"I still sit at night, and I talk to Marcus, and I kiss the box I had made for his ashes, and I say 'goodnight, sunshine', and I think 'I don’t want to be in this world without you, Markie'. And I don’t. It’s as simple as that," she added.

Ahead of her planned visit, Wendy has shared some more details about what her final moments might look like.

She said: "I have to administer the medication myself, that’s what the law says."

"Within a minute, you are in a coma, and a minute after that, you are gone."

Other Brits have previously used the Sarco suicide pod (ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images)

Switzerland is one of the few countries which allows patients to choose assisted dying, with the Swiss Penal Code permitting that patients must meet the following criteria:

• 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 was eventually determined to be severe enough to justify the euthanasia and she has already travelled to Switzerland to go ahead with her plans.

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.