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A family man secretly travelled to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland, and listened to Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ as he passed away.
Dan Tuckley spent over £20,000 to end his life on his own terms at a euthanasia clinic outside Basel, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis last August.
The 46-year-old spent one of his final evenings enjoying a luxurious meal – though he was unable to eat – with his family, who said he should have been allowed to die in his own country.
Two days later he put on his favourite suit he administered a lethal dose as Frank Sinatra’s My Way played in the background, The Mirror reported.
Euthanasia is illegal in the UK and is punishable by up to 14 years’ jail. On Tuesday an inquiry into assisted dying will open in Parliament.
Dan Tuckley (Pictured with his sister Kate the day before he died) travelled to Switzerland with his wife and siblings to end his life at an assisted dying clinic – where he played Frank Sinatra’s My Way as he died
Dan Tuckley spent over £20,000 to end his life on his own terms at Pegasos (pictured), outside Basel, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis last August
The office manager was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer – Renal Medullary Carcinoma – last August.
The cancer spread so quickly and his life expectancy dropped from one year to weeks.
Having witnessed his own father die in a ‘vegetative state, unable to speak’, Dan was adamant about going out on his own term.
He chose assisted dying after becoming unable to eat or drink without vomiting.
His sister Kate told The Mirror: ‘It would mean that he would kill cancer, and cancer would not kill him.’
His wife Sarah said he should not have had to spend his last few days with ‘so much stress and fear’.
Due to fears of being caught by police Dan kept his decision secret from others – including his mother Dawn, 75, who has a dementia diagnosis.
Dan booked a £9,000 appointment at the Pegasos clinic and spent £12,000 to charter a private jet for him, his wife and his siblings.
Pegasos, a nonprofit in the field, which has a facility in Basel (pictured)
On September 22 a doctor added the treatment to his drip, while surrounded by his loved ones Dan pushed the button to administer it.
Dan was cremated in Switzerland and his ashes were sent to the UK.
Assisted dying is legal in certain circumstances in Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some US states.
Police later visited Sarah at her home in Derby to say they would not pursue Dan’s death.
As of the end of December 2022, there were 1,528 members of Dignitas from Great Britain, according to figures from the not-for-profit organisation, which assists dying patients with a ‘self-determined end of life’.
This has risen from 821 in 2012.
Some 33 people from the UK had an assisted death at Dignitas in 2022 – up on 23 people the year before.
In December, it was announced that the Health and Social Care Committee would hold an inquiry into the law on assisted dying, examining ‘different perspectives’ in the often controversial and passionate debate, with a focus on the healthcare aspects.
Supporters of legalisation argue people should be able to help terminally ill loved ones who are experiencing great suffering to end their lives.
But a change in the law is opposed by many religious groups, who say it would undermine the value society places on human life.
Dignity in Dying said while Dignitas has used both the terms GB and UK, their figures cover all four nations of the UK.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the campaign group, said: ‘It’s immoral that we are outsourcing compassion to Switzerland for the few that can afford it.
‘The increase in Dignitas’s latest figures is concrete evidence that Britons are desperate for choice and control over their deaths.’
