Woman, 79, reveals she is traveling to Switzerland to be euthanized

A Missouri woman has detailed the tragic reason she is traveling to Switzerland to be euthanized.

Gayle Hendrix, 79, spoke about her decision alongside her daughter Charlene Foeste Friday, in an emotional interview with Fox 19 Now.

The mom-of-two explained how years ago, she was diagnosed with lupus and interstitial lung disease, and more recently, her lung capacity has gotten worse. 

She is now on oxygen 24-7 and only able to walk short distances, she said - a state so difficult, she's now decided to end her life.

'My body, my choice, my death,' she said.  

Missouri law does not permit euthanasia, but does allow for the removal of life support in certain instances, such as for those experiencing intense pain. However, since Hendrix is not on life support, this does not apply - hence the need to travel.

'I've had a great life, and I want to have some dignity when I'm going to the next phase,' Hendrix said, as she spends her last days surrounded by friends and family.

'It just feels like it's the right thing to do,' she added.

Recently retired following a lengthy career in human resources and as a contact tracer,  she will make the trip to Switzerland in a few days. 

Both went on to remember how before the diagnosis, Hendrix lived an active lifestyle, 'always busy, always,' her daughter said.

It is this vigor that ironically led her to elect for the physician-assisted death, she said - describing a process legal in only 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Missouri is not one them, but a trip to somewhere like New Mexico could solve that - however, rules and regulations in those states as well requires patients having six months or less to live.

'I don't want to wait that long,' Hendrix said of how she has years more.

'I don't want to get that sick. I don’t want to get to the point of this is existing, not living.'

She settled for Switzerland because medically assisted dying has been legal there since the 1940s, leading her to file the paperwork this past spring for a one-way trip this August.

However, 'they were booked up,' Hendrix said - leading her to choose September 26.

Only a few days away, the procedure that awaits her is as painless as it is simple. 

'They put an IV in your arm, and the first medicine that goes through puts you to sleep,' she explained, showing off vintage photos of her during better days, 

'The second one stops all body functions,' she added. 'They have some kind of button on the IV.

'You have to be able to push that button, and that starts the fluid. In five minutes it’s done.' 

After that, she will be cremated, she said - paving the way for her remains to be ship backed to Missouri all in a matter of weeks.

Her daughter, while trying to stay supportive, said she disagrees with the decision, but will still be by her mother's side as she breathes her last breaths.

'It’s not my choice,' she said, holding back tears.

'I do love her and support her, and there’s no way on the planet my mom is going to do this alone - no way.' 

The mother and daughter will embark on their final journey together in the coming days, at peace with the decision.

Advocacy groups like Death with Dignity, meanwhile, continue to call attention to the desire amend laws surrounding assisted suicide - a controversial concept throughout much of the US due to religious and ethical implications. 

Physician-assisted suicide, or 'medical aid in dying', is legal in states like California, Colorado Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state, as well as Washington, DC.