The apparent approval for death, paradoxically, makes her grateful. “Relieved and happy,” Denise said in an interview with CTV News. “I was afraid they would not say ‘yes,’” he said. Denise asked us not to use her real name to protect her identity. He was diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), which cause rashes, difficulty breathing and dazzling headaches called hemiplegic migraines and cause temporary paralysis. The chemicals that make her sick, Denise said, are cigarette smoke, laundry chemicals and air fresheners. She is at risk of anaphylactic shock and so is EpiPens at any time if she suffers a life-threatening allergic attack. Denise is also confined to a wheelchair after suffering a spinal cord injury 6 years ago and has other chronic illnesses.
“APPLICATION FOR SERVICE ESSENTIALLY … DUE TO STAR POVERTY”
He desperately wants to move to a wheelchair-accessible apartment with cleaner air. But her only income is from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). She receives a total of $ 1,169 a month plus $ 50 for a special diet. “I applied for an MAiD essentially … because of extreme poverty,” he said. One of her doctors, Dr. Riina Bray, medical director of the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, was looking for better housing, saying Denise was seeking “immediate relocation for her safety.” But Denise said she and her supporters have called 10 different services in Toronto over the past six months to identify homes with reduced exposure to chemicals and tobacco that can afford ODSP. “None of them could do anything substantial about my relocation, emergency reception or temporary housing and emergency funds,” Denise said. Applying for medical help was surprisingly easy. Denise said she started working on MAiD applications in the summer of 2021. A psychiatrist, she said, initially considered her competent to make the decision. A second MAiD provider reviewed her medical history and signed the approval according to Denise. Another doctor offering her medically assisted death has now asked her to finalize documents including a power of attorney and funeral arrangements along with a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order. He said he completes this documentation. Denise also asked doctors to waive the 90-day waiting period for people like “Second Route” cases, which means that their natural death is not imminent, hoping for an earlier death. Dr Bray said none of the doctors contacted her to find out about efforts to help Denise find housing first. This is despite research showing that people with multiple chemical sensitivities often improve in chemically cleaner environments. “Shocking,” he said. “Situations are easily correctable,” said Dr. Bray. Denise confirmed that when friends and supporters can raise money to stay in a wheelchair accessible hotel near a ravine with fresh air, her symptoms are greatly reduced. “Accommodation is paid for with donations and is limited in duration by available funds. It is an emergency ‘solution’ and completely unsustainable,” Denise wrote in an email. Denise says that her life today is far from her early days as a professional make-up artist. “I was earning $ 25 an hour. It was a good job,” he told CTV News. But chemical exposures from her work caused her multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). MCS is a recognized disability under 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. Her story is alarmingly similar to that reported by CTV earlier in April. Sophia also suffered from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. She died with medical help in February, after fruitless attempts to get an apartment away from smoke and chemicals in her building. Denise said she started bureaucracy over her MAiD application in the summer of 2021, long before Sophia’s story was made public.
“THIS IS THE TOP OF THE ICE CREAM”
Her difficult choice underscores that Sophia’s decision was not isolated. Among those trying to help is David Fancy, a professor of dramatic arts at Brook University and a disability advocate. She heard about her troubles last fall and confirms how hard Denise tried to find a healthier home. But he saw her lose hope. “Door to door behind closed doors … the glove tends to push people in the direction of existing legislation, which is medical care and death,” said Fancy, who has started a GoFundMe for to try to help Denise. Find better accommodation. “I have a very serious concern that this is the tip of the iceberg,” he added. “Catastrophic,” said Devorah Kobluk, a senior policy analyst at the Income Security Support Center in Toronto, part of Legal Aid Ontario. He says many people with disabilities live far below the poverty line, giving them few choices. “There is a tremendous cost to living with a disability that is unique to them and their disability. Wheelchairs are expensive, the treatment … all of these things cost extra,” Kobluk said. The biggest issue of the purpose of medically assisted death in Canada is also at stake, say disability advocates. Initially approved by the Senate as a way to alleviate the suffering of those close to death, it was extended in March 2021 to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. “We have now come to a substantial solution to the shortcomings of our social security network through this horrible backdoor, not that it was meant to be, but it has been transformed,” said David Lepofsky, a disability lawyer and visiting professor of Disability Rights. at Osgoode Hall Law School. “With the right support, I have no doubt that people with disabilities can live well in society. We all want people with disabilities to know that their lives have value,” Kobluk said. CTV News contacted the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services, which confirmed the monthly payments to people with disabilities living alone. Both Denise and Sophia were evaluated at the environmental health clinic at Women’s College Hospital, which seeks to help people with chemical sensitivity. Dr Bray says the clinic is seeing an increasing number of referrals for the condition, with a two-year waiting list for an appointment with a specialist. Canadian statistics show that at least 700,000 Canadians suffer from chemical sensitivities. “Society is failing these patients,” he said. “I hope we can just stop this very easy solution provided by MAiD and start recognizing that these people need help,” he said. Bray. Edited by Executive Producer Mary Nersessian
