I can’t forget my dad’s final days. I don’t want that for my family
Norma Rivers, from Ayr, is terminally ill with myeloma and, while chemo is keeping her alive, she knows it’s only a matter of time before her health will decline.
Having lost her mum, dad, gran and brother to cancer, Norma hates to think of leaving her husband, daughter and grandchildren with bad memories of her death.
“I have seen it first hand. It was horrific,” said Norma, 68. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I am not willing to let my family go through that. I can’t. There’s no debate there.”
Norma was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2016 when she fainted after giving blood.
“It came completely out of the blue,” she said. “I had been seeing the doctor because I felt exhausted all the time but because of my age, they kept checking for thyroid problems.”
The gran of three was eventually sent to hospital for further tests, and the next day she got a call from her GP to say she had blood cancer.
“The prognosis was five years,” said Norma. “They said it was terminal.”
The former airport VIP lounge host endured targeted chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant in 2017. For 18 months she was free of cancer but in November 2019 the myeloma returned.
“Now I’m back on chemo and, while it is keeping my cancer at bay, my body isn’t tolerating it,” said Norma. “I’m scared now that I’m running out of options.
When the time comes, if I could, I would go to Dignitas for help but if the only other option is to do it myself then I will. This is the only viable option for me.
“I come from a family that has experienced cancer and the end has been awful for most.
“None of them had a good death, but my dad’s was the worst. And that’s the image of him that sticks in my mind. If only he had the option to go peacefully. I can’t put my family through that.
“I fully support the Dignity in Dying campaign to have assisted dying made legal here.
“When someone is dying and they want to die with dignity, that is their choice. There should be no question about it.”