The end was dignified and calm... he had taken control of his own destiny
Wife’s tribute to teacher who travelled to Dignitas to die
A TERMINALLY-ILL Scot took his own life in a ‘dignified and calm’ assisted death at a Swiss clinic yesterday.
Richard Selley, 65, died ‘exactly’ as he had wanted at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich, with his wife Elaine and brother Peter at his side.
The former headteacher of fee-paying Loretto Junior School in Musselburgh, East Lothian, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease four years ago and was unable to talk or walk, leaving him facing a distressing death as his condition deteriorated further.
On the eve of his death, Mr Selley issued a plea for legalised assisted dying in Scotland so that others would not have to make similar journeys to Switzerland, where the procedure is legal.
Mrs Selley – who was until recently headteacher of private Glenalmond College in Perthshire – confirmed in an emotionally moving update on his blog yesterday afternoon that her husband had died.
The couple, who had been married for eight years and had five children between them, lived in a cottage at Glenalmond.
Mrs Selley, 57, said the journey to Zurich had been ‘traumatic’ and that she would fight on for the legalisation of assisted death in Scotland.
In the blog post, entitled Epilogue, Mrs Selley wrote: ‘I am writing this post from my hotel room in Zurich. Richard died very peacefully at lunchtime today. His brother Peter and I were at his side.
‘At Dignitas, in a clinically clean room, well appointed but devoid of any personal touches, we could feel all the love that has been shared with us over the years. The end was dignified and calm, exactly as Richard wanted. He had taken control of his own destiny.
‘The care provided by the Dignitas staff was exceptional. There are so many safeguards in place to ensure that people are not in any way being coerced to end their lives.’
She added that Mr Selley had been interviewed twice, on two separate days, by a doctor to make sure that he wanted to die of his own free will.
Thanking those who had supported her and her husband in his illness, Mrs Selley continued: ‘In so few words I cannot begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported us. Your friendship, humanity, humour and kindness have made this journey more bearable. know that Richard found great solace in the knowledge that he had made a difference to so many lives. I am immensely proud of everything he achieved.
‘I am acutely aware of the enormity of my personal loss and heartache. However, I knew without a doubt that I was loved, and true love never dies.
‘Richard gave me the confidence to flourish as a person at home and professionally. Like many of you, I was inspired by Richard. He taught me well, and he would be furious to think that I would throw in the towel after his death. Therefore, I will continue to fight for the human right of those who are terminally ill to choose how and when they die in Scotland.
‘The experience of travelling to Switzerland will never leave me. It was traumatic. No one should ever need to make that journey from a supposedly humane and compassionate country like Scotland.’
Mrs Selley added: ‘Richard will always be with me, no matter what new memories I create in the future. His influence and unconditional love live on.
‘I see myself as lucky to have shared my life with this incredible man. I will cherish our journey together. His laughing blue eyes will continue to twinkle in my mind, reminding me that there is joy to be had in the world somewhere.’
Patients who end their lives in approved clinics are given a fatal dose of a drug which they must take themselves, without any assistance. They usually fall asleep within five minutes and slip into a deep coma before the drug paralyses their respiratory system, resulting in their death. MSPs voted against assisted dying when a Bill came before the Scottish parliament in 2015.
Ally Thomson, director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, said: ‘Our thoughts are with Elaine and her family. Richard and Elaine showed immense bravery and dignity in sharing their story and speaking out about the injustice they both suffered under Scotland’s outdated, broken law in their final weeks together.
‘As Richard pointed out in his final message, he received out‘I standing palliative care. But it was simply not enough to guarantee him the swift, peaceful and dignified death he wanted. Richard is not alone.
‘We echo Richard’s calls for an Assisted Dying Bill in Scotland.’
Dignity in Dying published a report this week recommending assisted dying is legalised ‘to give terminally ill, mentally competent adults a further option of escaping or avoiding a period of unbearable suffering at the end of lives’.
It claimed that, even with high levels of palliative care, hundreds of patients still had no relief from pain at the end of life.
‘We could feel all the love shared with us’ ‘Injustice they both suffered’