Grieving mum, 56, ends her life at Swiss assisted dying clinic

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Wendy Duffy paid £10,000 to end her life after she was approved for assisted dying at the Pegasos clinic.

The former care worker from the West Midlands had planned her death for a year, penning letters to her loved ones, selecting a deathbed outfit and choosing the music she will hear as she dies.

The grief-stricken 56-year-old said her life had been "agony" since the death of her only son Marcus four years ago after he choked to death.

She said before travelling to Switzerland: "I don't care about anything any more. I exist. I don't live. When Marcus died, I died too, inside. On my deathbed I'll wear his T-shirt, which still smells of him.”

Pegasos is an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland which accepts psychiatric-only cases where there is no physical illness, given that they meet strict eligibility criteria.

The condition must be long-lasting, serious and resistant to treatment.

In the UK the proposed assisted dying bill would not permit such cases as it stipulates only those who are terminally ill with six months to live and of a sound mind can end their life.

The most famous clinic, Dignitas, in Switzerland would also have rejected her application.

After over a year of interviews, forms and handing over her full medical records and therapy history, all carried out over WhatsApp and email, a panel of experts approved Wendy's case.

The 56-year-old will be cremated in Switzerland.

Her ashes will be sent back to her family which she wants scattered by her son Marcus's bench.

Her four sisters and two brothers knew she had applied to the clinic but she has not been able to tell them the timeline to protect them.

If anyone had travelled with her or was deemed to have helped her suicide in any way they could risk a police investigation.

Wendy has previously spoken out about her struggle to overcome her grief following her son's death.

Marcus had been eating a sandwich she had made him when he fell asleep on the sofa.

Hungover, he choked to death.

Wendy tried performed CPR as she battled to save her son's life. She sat by him for five days in hospital before he died. She said the traumatic death left her experiencing nightmares.

She tried antidepressants and therapy but none helped her overcome her grief.

Wendy previously told the Daily Mail that her only request for her final moments was that the "big windows are open, so my spirit can be free".

She added: "I wish this was available in the UK, then I wouldn't have to go to Switzerland at all," revealing she previously tried to take her own life but was unsuccessful and left on a ventilator.

"I could step off a motorway bridge or a tower block but that would leave anyone finding me dealing with that for the rest of their lives."

"I'm going to go out to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars singing Die With A Smile."

Her death comes as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is expected to collapse as the House of Lords will run out of time to debate the proposed new law.

Ruedi Habegger, Pegasos founder, said on Friday: "I can confirm that Wendy Duffy, at her own request, was assisted to die on April 24 and that the procedure was completed without incident and in full compliance with her wishes.

"I can also confirm that neither we nor any of the professional staff assessing her mental capacity had any doubt as to her intention, understanding and independence of both thought and action. In historical terms at English law, hers was a case of "sane suicide"."

Pegasos is a non-profit organisation as Swiss law prohibits it from profiting from death. Clients must cover the cost of the medication, doctors' fees and funeral expenses while a portion goes towards the Swiss government.

It insists that applications to pass away are assessed rigorously by a panel of experts including psychiatrists.