His dying wish was to make it easier for other people in his situation to do the same.
The Windsor, Ont., man killed himself to end the debilitating physical and mental pain he experienced as a result of anxiety, mood disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
This idea that suicide is dignified and painless is a dangerous one. Take it from someone who tried and failed.
Nearly seven years ago I overdosed on dozens of pills — causing multiple cardiac arrests and weeks in hospital on life support.
I survived, but only narrowly so.
Everything from the method to the date and time was meticulously thought out.
I picked the day because I didn’t have any other appointments scheduled — as though missing a meeting would have been the only problem with my plan any other day.
Suicidal people are irrational. This is true even when decisions appear to be made through logic and reason.
I saw suicide as the answer to pain I was convinced wouldn’t abate.
It wasn’t just about picking the easy way out of an unpleasant situation — it was the only way. I saw no way my life would improve.
Spoiler alert: it did.