A terminally ill woman has ended her life through assisted dying.
Since 2021 Lily Thai, from Adelaide, Australia, has suffered with a debilitating illness called autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, or AAG.
The disease causes a person's immune system to mistakenly attack its own nervous system.
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For the past couple of years, it's taken over Lily's life, leaving her in bedridden and relying on her dad, celebrated chef Le Tu Thai, to look after her.
Speaking to a local newspaper about her illness, Lily said: "It’s gotten to the place that I’ve lost control of everything else in my life, and I’ve been reliant on my dad as a caregiver to do everything for me, even the most intimate things."
In January, South Australia introduced legislation that made voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legal.
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And Lily, now 23, took the decision to end her life under the country's new laws.
She had recently opened up about the difficulty she was having with her treatment.
“I realised that I can’t have any more anaesthesia, so I [couldn’t] have any more feeding tube changes [or] surgeries," she said.
Explaining her decision to go ahead with it, Lily said she will finally be 'free' of the pain she has endured over the past few years.
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She said: "I’ll no longer have any pain, I will no longer suffer with any of these issues, and I’ll finally be free of all the suffering that I have endured for so many years."
Her death notice, published in The Advertiser, said she 'passed away peacefully' at Laurel Hospice in the Flinders Medical Centre on Wednesday (21 June).
"Much loved daughter of Kate and Le," it read. "Beloved granddaughter, niece and cousin. Treasured friend to many."
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One of Lily's closest friends throughout her life is ambulance officer Danika Pederzolli, who has been by her side for some time.
The 28-year-old recently took Lily to the beach, where they sat and looked out at the ocean while having some food.
The pair had met on the St John's Ambulance cadet program.
Speaking about their friendship, Danika said that she had a 'vibrant attitude' and 'warm presence', describing her as 'sunshine in human form'.
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She told The Advertiser: "She's such a positive and warm presence in your life and (such a) smart person. She was just so happy, and she's still like that now, she's no different."
Dominic Smithers