A decorated philanthropist and charity worker who spent her life serving others has died after deciding to end her life.
Ros Worthington OAM was recently told she had weeks to live after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and arranged to end her life on her own terms under Western Australia’s voluntary assisted dying legislation.
She spent her final weeks organizing her own farewell and reassuring her loved ones that she was at peace.
Sunday, Perth ABC breakfast radio presenter Mark Gibson led the moving tributes to a charitable life well lived.
“Dear Ros, I was very lucky to meet you and very lucky to have the opportunity to say goodbye to you,” he wrote.
‘You made the world a better place. Fly freely now.’
Others who knew her recalled the amazing and lasting impact Mrs. Worthington had on their lives.
“Oh my, what a sad loss for our world, but just like Ros wanted,” one wrote.
Ros Worthington OAM spent a full life helping those around her, chose VAD after a terminal cancer diagnosis
Ros Worthington dedicated years to charity work and became one of WA’s most awarded philanthropists.
Another added: “What an amazing lady.”
Mrs Worthington was the driving force behind several well-known charities in WA.
He established the Make-A-Wish Foundation in WA, to grant the wishes of terminally ill children.
She started Breast Cancer Care WA after her own battles with chronic breast disease, discovered at the age of 16.
She also founded the Love Angel Foundation, to teach children compassionate values and raise funds to feed and educate orphans and widows in disadvantaged countries.
Worthington saw the need to recognize and destigmatize suicide after her husband Ross took his own life in 2002.
She set up a campaign called HelpME with Lifeline WA to help those suffering from depressive and suicidal thoughts.
Ms Worthington was awarded the Order of Australia medal in 2011.
ABC Perth breakfast presenter (left) Mark Gibson said he was “lucky to know” Ms Worthington and even luckier to “have the opportunity to say goodbye” as she spent her final weeks among family and friends .
He has also received countless awards recognizing his philanthropic work, including an appearance on Western Australia’s WA 100 Most Influential People list.
Last month, he spoke publicly about his terminal diagnosis after battling what he thought was a chest infection.
After several hospital visits and tests, he was told he had stage four lung cancer, which had metastasized to his brain.
The philanthropist was told she only had eight weeks to live and underwent “cyber knife” radiation treatment to gain some time with her family.
“If they give me a few more weeks, whatever, now I’ve been blessed because they’ve given me this time to be with my family and my grandchildren and see them and tell them how much I love them,” she told the newspaper. alphabet in September.
She then chose to end her life at a time of her choosing through voluntary assisted dying, and was grateful for the option.
“It’s really wonderful, because you always hear the praise after someone dies,” he said.
“In fact, I am now receiving praise and love from everyone in WA.”
Worthington had previously said she never really reflected on what she had accomplished until she was given just weeks to live, but she was proud of her work.
Worthington added that she was proud of what she had been able to accomplish in her life, even though she had never stopped to consider it before, and she hoped her work would leave a lasting impact.
He recently had a ‘farewell’ at a yacht club to say goodbye to friends and his closest loved ones.
Western Australia enacted its voluntary assisted dying legislation in 2021, as the state recorded 445 assisted deaths in the following two years.
He allowed a documentary film crew to follow his journey toward the end of life in hopes of showing that voluntary assisted dying can be a beautiful experience.
Mrs. Worthington spent her years helping people in crisis and had a final message for the community at large.
She wanted everyone to love their families, describing family as the most important thing when you are dying.