A 31-year-old Toronto woman is nearing “final approval” for a medically assisted death she applied for after being unable to find an affordable apartment to accommodate her disabilities.
According to CTV News, the disabled woman, who is referred to as Denise in the report, says she applied for “Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)” because she was unsuccessful in securing an apartment that would accommodate her conditions within her budget.
Denise says she is “relieved” that it looks like she is going to get the approval, adding that she “was scared that they weren’t going to say ‘yes.’”
The report explains that Denise suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), which makes her at risk for going into potentially-fatal anaphylactic shock from a variety of commonly used chemicals, on top of having a spinal cord injury that has her confined to a wheelchair.
While not all reactions to chemical irritants cause anaphylaxis, Denise says even mild exposure to things like cigarette smoke, laundry chemicals, and air fresheners trigger “rashes, difficulty breathing, and blinding headaches called hemiplegic migraines that cause her temporary paralysis.”
Due to the restrictive income of roughly $1,200 provided to her each month through Ontario’s Disability Support Program (ODSP), she has been unable to find an affordable apartment that would accommodate her complex needs, leading her to feel as though MAiD is the only solution.