At just 45, Sandra Demontigny has become an influential advocate for the right to medically assisted death in Quebec. Amid facing early-onset Alzheimer's, she reflects on a historic law allowing individuals to choose their end-of-life options long before losing mental capacity, sparking a broader conversation on dignity in dying.
The Courage to Choose: Sandra Demontigny's Fight for Death with Dignity
The Courage to Choose: Sandra Demontigny's Fight for Death with Dignity
Sandra Demontigny, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, advocates for the right to plan her death as Quebec allows advance requests for assisted death.
In the quest for personal autonomy over life’s end, Sandra Demontigny stands as a critical figure in Quebec's healthcare landscape. At 45, facing a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer’s that threatens her mental faculties, she has become instrumental in advocating for the right to choose medically assisted death—a pioneering step in the struggle for dignity in dying.
Last fall, Quebec became one of the few global jurisdictions to permit individuals with serious and incurable health conditions to select when to end their lives, sometimes years ahead of time, while they still have the cognitive ability to make such a monumental decision. Demontigny, a mother of three from Lévis, played a decisive role in this advocacy movement.
Over the years, her journey has been tumultuous, marked by emotional reflections on the fate that awaits those with her genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. A powerful campaigner, she has spoken candidly about her family history with the disease, recalling the transformations her father underwent during his battle with Alzheimer’s—a journey filled with confusion and aggression that left lasting impressions on her.
Despite the personal toll of her diagnosis, Demontigny’s determination has only intensified. She has taken to public forums, addressing health ministers and lawmakers as well as appearing on various media platforms to articulate the need for this critical change in law. Even as she feels the grip of memory loss, her mission remains clear: to secure a dignified option for those affected by similar fates.
The willingness to confront the inevitable is a daunting challenge, as evidenced by a poignant moment in her private reflection when she attempted to articulate when she would choose to die. The struggle to pen those words serves as a testament to the emotional weight of such decisions.
As Quebec embarks on this groundbreaking approach to end-of-life choices, Demontigny's advocacy spotlights not only her personal battle but also resonates with a broader societal discourse on how we perceive dying with dignity. Through her tireless efforts, she hopes to ensure that others facing similar futures have the right to choose the manner and timing of their deaths, imbuing her legacy with a profound sense of agency in a world where such power is often stripped away by illness.
