Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Health, Washington, US News
Joe Yates
Warning: This article contains discussions of assisted dying that some readers may find upsetting
A woman who helped both her mom and dad die the way they wanted has shared the devastating reality behind how she came to accept their final wish.
Corinne Sharpe had a strong relationship with her parents, describing their connection as 'close knit', but nothing could have prepared her for the moment they asked for her help with something few people can imagine.
In 2021, Corinne supported Eva and Druse Neumann as they used medical aid in dying (MAID) to end their lives side by side.
Advert
Of course, she was conflicted by the task, but four years on, she’s now opened up about the emotional weight of that decision, and why she believes they deserved to go out on their own terms.
Her mom was 92 years old at the time of her death and she had lived a full life, but had battled serious heart issues for years. After being diagnosed with aortic stenosis in 2018, doctors gave her devastating news.
"The doctors basically gave her 18 months, maybe two years to live without a pretty invasive surgery,” Corinne told PEOPLE magazine.
But Eva wasn't prepared to go through surgery and instead wanted to let nature take its course.
Then, in April 2021, she suffered a serious fall and was hospitalized.
The ordeal was too much for her doting husband, with a 'panicked' Druse experiencing stroke-like symptoms - likely brought on by stress - shortly after seeing his wife in hospital.
Two months later, Eva decided to pursue MAID through Washington State's Death with Dignity Act - but with Eva signing up, a terrified Druse, aged 95, consoled in his daughter.
Corrine said: "I had a very interesting, serious heart-to-heart conversation with him one evening after my mom had gone to bed. And he was just panicked like, ‘What happens to me if she goes first?’ - that's always been a concern of his.
"He couldn't see a scenario where he would want to continue if mom was gone."
Eventually, he made the shocking decision to follow his wife’s lead and apply to die with her.
Doctors approved his request, as Corinne describes the experience as a 'painful paradox'.
She moved in with them, made their favourite meals, shared champagne, and revisited treasured childhood memories, before even joking with them about choosing a 'death date' so as to carefully avoid birthdays or holidays.
They settled on Friday, August 13, 2021.
The night before their death, Corinne hosted an intimate dinner for her parents.
“We called it the Last Happy Hour instead of the Last Supper,” she explained. “I made my dad's favorite appetizers, and we sat around and had our glasses of wine and my dad went to bed.
"My mom and I sat around on the deck and then she crawled into her bed. And I asked if I could lay down and sleep with her for a little bit… It was perfect."
The next morning, they were joined by two counsellors of the nonprofit organization End of Life Washington - who were there to help with their passing.
"The counselors prepared the cocktail, we sat around and shared some private moments together. They got to sit in their own bed and hold hands with each other and talk before they were able to take the meds,” Corrine shared.
"We put music on and they took the cocktail. Then we poured a glass of wine and we had a final toast. About 10 minutes after they drank it, they went to sleep."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.