Woman seeking medically assisted death after failing to secure affordable housing finds lifeline following outpouring of financial support

The 31-year-old woman told CTV News that she paused her application for medically assisted death after nearly 1,000 people donated more than $65,000.

• A woman with chronic illness who was seeking medically assisted death has paused her application.
• Denise told CTV News that she received an outpouring of financial support after sharing her story.
• "Abject poverty" and an inability to find housing initially led to her decision to seek euthanasia. 

A 31-year-old disabled woman who was pursuing medically assisted death after failing to find affordable housing that didn't exacerbate her illness has paused her application for euthanasia following an outpouring of financial support, according to CTV News. 

The Toronto woman — identified in the outlet's report by the pseudonym Denise — shared her story with the Canadian network earlier this month, describing the numerous chronic illnesses she lives with, including Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, which she said causes rashes, difficulty breathing, and hemiplegic migraines that can lead to temporary paralysis.

The illness means Denise is susceptible to anaphylactic shock and possibly fatal allergic attacks brought on by chemicals such as cigarette smoke, laundry fumes, and air fresheners. Dr. Riina Bray, one of Denise's physicians, told CTV earlier this year that Denise needed "immediate relocation for her safety." People living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities often start to improve in environments that are chemically cleaner, Bray said.

Denise also uses a wheelchair due to a previous spinal cord injury, the outlet reported.

For months, Denise and her friends fruitlessly searched for a wheelchair-accessible apartment with cleaner air that she could afford on her $1,169 monthly disability income.

With no options and diminishing hope, Denise began an application for medically assisted death in the summer of 2021, citing "abject poverty" as the primary factor. By the beginning of this month, two doctors had conditionally approved her application and her end-of-life documents were in the process of being finalized.

But since sharing her story, Denise said her life has "stabilized" following an outpouring of support from strangers around the world. Nearly 1,000 people have donated more than $65,000 to her GoFundMe campaign, she told CTV News last week. Denise is using the funds to afford a hotel room that uses low-scented cleaning chemicals and has fresh air from a nearby ravine that significantly lessens her pain.

"These are strangers saying they do not want this to happen. I am even struggling to find the words," she said.

Denise said she has paused her application for medically assisted death but not cancelled it completely, because the hotel room remains a temporary solution and she continues to suffer from additional chronic health issues that have yet to be addressed. 

She told the outlet that she is trying to find long-term subsidized housing in the meantime and wants to help other people who suffer from chemical sensitives.

"I am no longer focusing on just survival," she told CTV News. "Mentally, I am more clear to put things in place to put a more liveable life."