The Story My mother, my best friend and my misdiagnosis
Jun 18, 2025
Decca Aitkenhead, Chief Interviewer for The Sunday Times, shares her profound journey through grief and ethical dilemmas surrounding assisted dying. She reflects on her mother's death, where a GP risked jail to grant her peace, and her best friend's painful battle with Huntington's disease. Decca articulates the emotional turmoil these experiences created, advocating for individual choice in end-of-life scenarios. Her candid stories challenge listeners to contemplate the complexities of mortality and the need for compassionate dialogue on this sensitive issue.
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Mother's Secret End-of-Life Choice
- Decca Aitkenhead's mother, terminally ill with cancer at age 38, chose to die peacefully at home rather than in hospital.
- Her local GP secretly gave her the means to end her life, an act of courage and compassion that was kept from the children for decades.
Friend's Struggle with Huntington's
- Decca's best friend Charlotte was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, a devastating neurodegenerative illness.
- She asked Decca to take her to Dignitas for assisted dying, but legal and mental capacity barriers made it impossible, leading to a prolonged, anguished decline.
Urgency of Assisted Dying Bill
- The assisted dying bill is for people facing terminal illness who want control over their death timing and manner.
- Delaying the bill risks waiting decades for another chance, leaving many to suffer unnecessarily.