'I'll never forget the horror in my husband's eyes - I support assisted dying'

A widow who watched her husband choke to death on his own faecal matter says she will never forget the look of horror in his eyes.

Lucy Davenport, 41, was left with PTSD after witnessing Tom's torturous final hours during which hospice staff could do nothing to ease his suffering.

The dad-of-one had cancer of the bile duct which had spread to his bowel and caused a blockage.

The effects could not be stopped with anti-sickness drugs and Tom was vomiting so violently he could not remain sedated.

Lucy said: "I was with two of his older sisters, Alisa and Janet, and we kept vigil, taking it in turns to hold a bowl underneath his mouth whilst he vomited his own faecal matter.

"Eventually, after five hours, he inhaled the faecal matter, choked and died. The look of horror on his face will never leave me."

Music teacher Tom had been diagnosed suddenly one year earlier after the skin around his eyes turned "Homer Simpson yellow" on a family walk with Lucy and their son Joss, nine.

A barrage of tests during a 36-hour wait in A&E revealed he had developed a rare and deadly cancer. Breaking the news to Joss, the couple told him: "Daddy's got cancer, he's going to do everything he can to fight it."

Lucy added: "That was one of the worst days of our lives as parents, but not quite as bad as having to tell him that his Dad had died."

Tom was given a prognosis of just 11-12 months to live and told his loved ones he wanted a choice about how he would die.

But the family could not afford to travel to Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying clinic, and Tom could not risk them facing a police investigation if he took matters into his own hands.

Lucy said the trio enjoyed a "wonderful year together", going to concerts, Disneyland and even meeting one of Tom's favourite rock bands, Kiss.

Then in August 2023 the 47-year-old decided it was time to move into a hospice. Lucy recalled: "Tom said to one of the doctors: 'Can you just give me something so I can go to sleep and not wake up?' He was really ready to die.

"And the doctor said: 'Not unless you grow another two legs and a tail.' That has really stuck with me."

The hospice staff were "incredibly kind and did everything they could within their legal power" to make Tom's final days comfortable, Lucy said.

Joss visited his dad and friends stopped by for drinks and pizza. Around a week later, Tom knew the end was near and said goodbye to his son.

Lucy said: "He told us he was ready, 'I just want to close my eyes and go now, thanks.' But unfortunately that wasn't what happened."

The staff provided "exemplary care" but their hands were tied as they closely followed end-of-life guidelines, Lucy said.

She added: "The fallout from that is that I have PTSD. I'm trying to work and have a child and deal with that, on top of grief and everything else, for a man who desperately wanted a choice."

Lucy shared her story in support of campaign group Dignity in Dying and the Express Give Us Our Last Rights crusade, and to show MPs why they must vote in favour of changing the law.

She believes palliative care should be improved alongside the introduction of assisted dying for terminally ill people.

Speaking directly to MPs, the grieving mum added: "Please listen to your constituents and people like me who have horrific stories, and give people a choice in the way they die. We all deserve our own bodily autonomy."

The Government will remain neutral on MP Kim Leadbeater's Private Member's Bill when it faces a second reading on November 29, but the Daily Express supports efforts to change the Assisted Dying law and to give those who are terminally ill greater choice.

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