Spina bifida patient says Montreal hospital staff offered him MAiD twice out of the blue

Tracy Polewczuk has spina bifida, a birth defect that can cause brittle bones. Two years ago, she had an accident and broke her leg. The injury never really healed.

She says she lives in constant pain and relies on daily home visits from the Pointe-Claire CLSC, but recently she says care has deteriorated.

“They don’t bother to ask you like they know your name, but they don’t talk to you. It’s so impersonal, and they don’t care,” Polewczuk said in a recent interview. “You get up when they tell you. You go to bed when they tell you. You do what they tell you. That’s it. You have no control over your life.”

Because of her injury, she says she needs to be moved in a certain way.

“And I’ve been hurt many times because people wouldn’t listen,” she said.

Polewczuk says she feels hopeless, like the system doesn’t treat her like a human being.

“The pain is terrible. We all agree. It’s terrible. I’m in pain 24/7. It never stops. I can survive this. I can’t survive being treated like a sack of meat,” she said.

Her husband, James, said there were times he feared she would attempt suicide.

“I had to hide a certain medicine that we had enough of. If she took it, it would end her life. And I hid it,” he explained.

It was in this vulnerable state that Polewczuk says he received the shock of his life.

On two occasions, and without being asked why, she was allegedly informed that she would be eligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID), once by a nurse at the Sainte-Anne hospital rehabilitation centre and another time by a social worker at the Verdun hospital.

“It feels like we’re being pushed into the assisted dying program instead of being given the help we need to live,” Polewczuk said.

The West Island Regional Health Authority declined to comment on this specific case for privacy reasons, but said: “The rules surrounding medical assistance in dying are very strict and we follow them to the letter. The initiative must always come from the patient, not the health care staff.”

Family physician Dr. Paul Saba says it’s considered a recommendation any time a doctor or health care professional makes a suggestion.

“We need to improve our health system for everyone, regardless of their condition, regardless of their disability,” Saba said.

In 2022, more than 4,800 Quebecers sought medical assistance in dying, more than in any other Canadian province. These figures raise serious questions for this patient rights advocate.

“Under what circumstances did these people ask this question? Are these people not being properly served at home, not receiving adequate health care, not having anyone to help them?” he asked.

“My theory is that many of these people who requested and received medical assistance to die, may have been in circumstances where they had no other choice.”

Polewczuk says she often feels like a burden, but her choice is clear.

“I want to survive. I want to thrive. I want my life back. I want the opposite of what they’re trying to make us do,” she said.

CTV News reached out to Health Minister Christian Dube for comment but did not receive a response.