One morning in October 2015, two police officers knocked on the door of writer and newspaper columnist Nikki Gemmell. They were there to inform her that her mother Elayn had been found dead in her apartment. An apparent suicide. Did she know of her mother’s plans? Had she inadvertently contributed to her death in some way?
Blindsided by shock and guilt, Nikki was left not only devastated but desperately searching for answers. Alarmed, too, that she was suddenly part of a police investigation.
A vibrant and independent woman, Elayn had been suffering from chronic pain after a failed foot operation and had subsequently become addicted to painkillers.
With four children and a busy career, Nikki had struggled to deal with her mother’s increasing dependence.
Now, like a detective, she began to piece together her mother’s secret life. Who had she told of her plans, if not her family? How had she fed her opioid addiction?
Recognising that her mother had been forced to die a lonely death to protect her loved ones, Nikki dived down the rabbit hole of the euthanasia debate and unexpectedly found herself an advocate for change.
