DONNA'S STORY

Donna Duncan was a psychiatric nurse, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. For four decades, she worked in mental health, supporting patients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. She was known for her compassion, resilience, and dedication to helping others.

 

In February 2020, Donna was involved in a motor vehicle accident. In the months that followed, she experienced a significant decline in both her physical and psychological health. She reported chronic pain, increasing sensitivity to light, sound, touch, and food, depression, anxiety, and progressive weight loss. As her condition worsened, she became increasingly isolated and convinced that her suffering would not improve.

 

By the fall of 2021, Donna's weight had dropped to approximately 80 pounds. She believed she was dying and attributed many of her symptoms to a physical condition. Healthcare providers involved in her care expressed differing views regarding the role of mental health, depression, and her increasingly limited food intake in her decline.

 

In October 2021, Donna applied for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

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Her family became concerned that treatable factors contributing to her suffering had not been fully addressed. Donna's longtime family physician expressed similar concerns, documenting his belief that her mental health required further treatment and declining to support her MAiD request.

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As concerns escalated, Donna's daughters sought emergency intervention under British Columbia's Mental Health Act. She was apprehended by police and assessed by multiple physicians and psychiatrists in the days leading up to her death. Ultimately, she was found capable of making her own decisions and remained eligible for MAiD.

 

Donna died by MAiD on October 29, 2021, at the age of 61, hours after being released from psychiatric care. 

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In the years since her death, her family has pursued answers through formal complaints, freedom of information requests, oversight processes, and discussions with medical, legal, and policy experts. While numerous reviews were conducted, her case continues to raise questions about mental illness, capacity assessments, vulnerability, severe weight loss, informed consent, and the safeguards surrounding assisted dying.

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This website was created to preserve Donna's story, share the family's experience, and contribute to ongoing conversations about MAiD policy and practice. It serves as a resource for journalists, researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and families seeking to better understand the circumstances surrounding her death and the broader issues it raises.

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Donna's story has become part of a larger national and international discussion about assisted dying, mental health, patient protection, and end-of-life care. Regardless of where individuals stand on these issues, her family's hope is that her experience encourages thoughtful dialogue and continued examination of how society supports those who are suffering.