A British woman with terminal breast cancer was euthanised ‘on a beach in the sunshine’ in New Zealand just days after urging the UK to change its laws on assisted dying, her friend has revealed.
Tracy Hickman, 57, who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in March 2019, had been fighting for euthanasia rights in the UK before passing away on Wednesday.
In a heartfelt tribute posted on Instagram, Tracy’s podcasting pal Dom Harvey shared a picture of the pair alongside a caption that read: ‘Tracy Hickman passed away peacefully today’.
Tracy Last Words
Speaking on Dom’s podcast two weeks ago, Tracy revealed she would be dying on a beach on May 22 surrounded by her sister, her brother-in-law, her niece, her partner, and a few close friends.
Explaining how the day would go, she said with a smile on her face: ‘It will hopefully have some chocolate for breakfast because I’m a real chocoholic’.
‘And then I’m going to go to a beach with the people I really love… and listen to the waves, see the sea, and put the rest of the medicine in’, she added.
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She said she would feel ‘such huge relief’ that she is able to ‘do it in that way,’ adding she felt as if she had been given ‘a massive gift’, but did not reveal the beach the assisted death would take place at.
‘I feel privileged in the last few months, I’ve said goodbye to so many people – how many people get a chance to do that when they pass away?’ she added.
‘Just feeling very fortunate to be in the position I’m in’.
Tribute Post
Among the hundreds of supportive and emotional comments under Dom’s tribute post was one written by Tracy’s partner Paul Qualtrough.
‘Thanks for your handling of this story,’ he wrote.
‘It has been sensitive, and the family really appreciated how you brought it to people’s attention in a way that allowed her to raise the awareness she wanted without sensationalising it nor seeking attention.’
