A cancer patient with a terminal diagnosis ended his life by lethal injection under new laws.
Scott Hollingshed, resident of the Central Coast of New South Wales He has been documenting his battle with lung disease. Cancer on Facebook.
One of Hollingshed’s close friends, Kellie Lott, confirmed the 58-year-old died on Friday afternoon, shortly after 2pm, “peacefully and with his partner Kat holding his hand”.
Despite having only been diagnosed in June, the cancer had already progressed to stage four, frustrating any hope of a cure.
Mr Hollingshed said he was “scared” to end his life but had “beautiful people with me” and wanted to show his gratitude to those who had supported him more widely while he was taking part in the NSW voluntary assisted dying program.
“I’m going to do one (a live video) from the hospital just to thank everyone and say goodbye,” Hollingshed said in a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday.
‘If you’ve walked this path with me you need to see the end.
‘I asked to make the screen with the flat line and everything else.’
Mr Hollingshed revealed that his partner said a few words after he left.
Cancer victim Scott Hollingshed plans to livestream his death by lethal injection on Friday
“I’m so grateful to everyone for everything they’ve given me in life,” Hollingshed said emotionally.
“The compassion and support you have shown throughout this journey, you all have been incredible.”
Mr Hollingshed had just bought a yacht with his partner and was enjoying life on the water when he began to experience chest pains.
“I’ve had heart attacks before, but I knew it wasn’t my heart,” he said. 7News.
Watching her father die in a hospice influenced her decision to seek assisted dying.
“Watching it wither away… I don’t want to see myself like that and I don’t want other people to see me like that, especially people who care about me,” Hollingshed said.
“I’ve been given the control to say, ‘Okay, it’s time.'”
After coughing up blood and being unable to sleep on his side without spluttering, Mr Hollingshed was given the devastating news that he had between three and six months to live.
Since then his condition has deteriorated even more rapidly.
Mr Hollingshed had just bought a yacht with his partner when he began experiencing chest pains that led to a lung cancer diagnosis.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t even put my socks on and my wife would get on her knees and put them on for me,” Hollingshed said.
“I know people do things for the people they love, but it broke my heart to see her do that.”
She wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that she would be “lucky to make it another week before I can’t do normal things like go to the bathroom, shower, cook (I can’t do that anymore).”
“I’m coughing up blood profusely all day and all night,” the message read.
In another recent video, Mr Hollingshed said it had been “a beautiful journey but very fast compared to what I thought it would be”.
Explaining that he could only sleep lying on the couch and only for two-hour periods while the painkillers took effect, he said he was considering “going to the hospital.”
“All they’re going to do there is put me on oxygen and pump me full of painkillers,” Hollingshed said.
“I’ve got my hydromorphone painkiller and a bottle of bourbon here. I’ll be fine,” he said.
‘Everyone says I’ve been an inspiration and thank you to those people for those comments.
“We only have one chance at this shit. Let’s make the most of it, huh?”
Mr Hollingshed says he hopes his story will inspire others to live life to the fullest and turn negatives into positives.
Friend Kellie Lott has organised an online fundraiser to help Mr Hollingshed and his partner with end-of-life expenses.
“We’ve all been watching this man make amazing lives on Facebook… for me and I bet all of us he’s an inspiration every time we see him speak,” the page reads.
‘He is doing his best to die with dignity and I am sure we can all agree that if he had less to worry about for himself and his partner, his final days would be much more peaceful.’
‘Please try to donate anything, every dollar helps, especially right now.’
The page had raised nearly $1,000 of its $5,000 goal.
New South Wales became the latest Australian state to allow medically assisted dying last year.
Under the laws, voluntary assisted dying is only available to New South Wales residents aged 18 or over who have an advanced illness that will cause death within at least 12 months and is causing suffering that cannot be relieved.
Mr Hollingshed said sharing his story had helped others going through similar circumstances and urged Australians to live life to the full.