Why a 37-year-old chose to end his life

Watching this young man party, you wouldn't know he was planning to end his life soon. 37‑year‑old Fraser Cahill, adored by many, accepted that he was terminally ill and chose voluntary assisted dying. The popular high‑end real estate agent from Melbourne had battled a rare and aggressive form of duodenal cancer, keeping his diagnosis a secret for as long as he could while undergoing chemotherapy. He thought he had won the battle but the cancer returned after Christmas last year – this time it was more ferocious and doctors agreed Fraser had just weeks to live. Fraser, with the help of nurse Beth and his brother Wes, began scoping out locations and soon settled on the perfect spot. “He was just very full of life despite his situation, his circumstances. And one of the first things he had said was that he wanted to do Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) down at the beach.” Not everyone was on board with his decision – the Catholic respite care facility taking care of him would not allow conversations about VAD to take place within their four walls. According to Go Gentle Australia, residents strongly back voluntary assisted dying laws, with support in most recent polls running between 70 and 90 per cent. Each state though has different requirements and supporters argue accessing the process should be more streamlined.