A young man preparing to end his life under euthanasia laws says he is “at peace” with the decision.
Austen Blackman-Gatehouse, 29, was born with a congenital heart condition and was told by doctors that she would not reach her 19th birthday.
Despite defying his expectations for over a decade, he has decided that he will end his life within a year.
“The paperwork is done, my application was approved, I have access to the means to end my life at any time I choose,” Blackman-Gatehouse said. The advertiser.
‘There is no specific date.
Austen Blackman-Gatehouse, 29, was born with a congenital heart condition and was told by doctors that she would not turn 19 (pictured with her wife and full-time carer, Shannon)
“My health is unlikely to last more than a year. This is an optimistic estimate.
Blackman-Gatehouse underwent open heart surgery when she was just five months old.
He developed pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and heart.
“I knew from a very young age that I wasn’t likely to age,” he said.
Blackman-Gatehouse underwent a lung and heart transplant in 2019.
Blackman-Gatehouse said she has made peace with his death (pictured with Shannon)
But he died in the operating room and doctors had to resuscitate him twice.
The recovery process was long and arduous until, in March 2022, his lungs rejected his body.
They have since deteriorated to the point that they are only functioning at 10 percent.
“Knowing that my body was going to continue to deteriorate, I wanted to control the moment when I would die instead of slowly suffocating,” he said.
Blackman-Gatehouse married his partner of ten years, Shannon, 44, in June 2022 and she became his full-time carer.
“An experience like this would have destroyed most relationships, but it has only strengthened ours,” he said.
‘She has been the core of my support and has been with me every step of the way, remaining absolutely steadfast. She is my best friend.’
TO GoFundMe pagewhich has so far raised nearly $3,400, was created to provide financial support to the couple.
“Shannon has been supporting Austen through all the trials of her illness over the past few years (including a double lung and heart transplant in 2022) even though she has her own struggles to face,” the GoFundMe states.
“Unable to work because she is Austen’s full-time carer, Shannon will have very little to help her financially once Austen passes away.”
South Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Act was passed in 2021 and allows terminally ill people to end their own lives, with the agreement of doctors.