A radio DJ who lost the ability to speak in his final days is sharing one last message after his death, to let other terminally ill patients know doctor-assisted dying is now an option in Canada.
JP Campbell, a former DJ at the country music station CJET in Smiths Falls, Ont., died last week from a lethal injection, after being granted the right under Canada's new doctor-assisted dying law. The 63-year-old was diagnosed last November with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a degenerative neurological disease for which there is no cure. He successfully applied for the right to a doctor-assisted death under Bill C-14, which received royal assent in June.
Now, his daughter April Poelstra is fulfilling his last wish by telling others that there is hope for those suffering from debilitating illnesses. The former radio host had lost the ability to speak for himself as a result of the disease.
"This interview (with Â鶹´«Ã½) was one of the last things that he wanted," Poelstra told CTV Ottawa. "He said, 'you make sure it's out there.' He wanted everyone to know that it's possible and it can be done."
Campbell lived in the small town of Smiths Falls, a community of approximately 9,000 people situated between Ottawa and Kingston, in eastern Ontario. There were no doctors to administer the lethal injection in Smiths Falls, so two were brought in from a neighbouring town.
Assisted-dying advocates said it's a good sign that Campbell was able to access the service, despite living in a small community.
"Probably in this case it was difficult for the family, but at the same time, they were able to have that conversation," said Susan Desjardins, of Dying with Dignity Canada.
"It gave him hope," Poelstra said of her father's request for an assisted death. She said his life became a major struggle after he was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. "He did not want to live if he couldn't walk or couldn't talk," she said.
With files from CTV Ottawa
