Liz Jacka's mother was a cheerful woman, even when in "intolerable pain and dying".
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But it would "kill" the Dying with Dignity (DWD) board member and volunteer, that she couldn't fulfill her dying mother's wishes.
"She had multiple comorbidities, including an amputation of one leg and every other thing under the sun," Ms Jacka said.
"Her last year was very miserable and very, very difficult.
"She used to say to me, even though she was a cheerful woman, she used to say 'Liz, I wish I wouldn't wake up tomorrow, and I'd say, I know that mum, I know you feel like that, I'm really sorry that you are suffering'.
"She eventually died of sepsis in 2002."
Her mother's painful journey isn't the only reason Ms Jacka wants to see voluntary assisted dying laws passed in NSW.
"Quite frankly this is about me too," Ms Jacka said.
"It is also my own story because I'm 76-years-old and when I get to the end of my life I would like the choice of deciding when I die, if I'm suffering intolerably, I want that choice, I do not want to suffer and suffer uselessly."
Ms Jacka joined Richard Martin and other Illawarra DWD supporters at Corrimal Park Mall on Thursday to launch an on-the-ground, grassroots campaign to show MPs just how much community support there is for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws across NSW.
The duo stated that vote campus data showed that 77 per cent of all NSW residents want VAD laws as do 76 per cent of Wollongong voters.
Mr Martin, who lives in Corrimal, returned from America in 2007 to look after his mother who had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
"[My sister and I} were taking her to the palliative care doctors and obviously the pain increased and she used to sit there saying to the palliative care doctor 'please let this end, I can't live in pain," Mr Martin said.
"The problem that she had was that the pain relief was never enough, so she was either in pain or comatose.
"At the end of her life she had a massive stroke and we sat there in the palliative care ward by her bed for six days as her body just shut down day by day.
"The doctors kept coming in saying 'I can't believe she is still here', 'how come she is still here?'
"It broke our heart that we couldn't let my mother die with dignity, not suffer unnecessarily."
Mr Martin urged NSW parliamentarians to listen to the 75 to 85 per cent majority of their constituents who want VAD laws.
"Laws are in place in Victoria, about to come into effect in Western Australia, have just passed in Tasmania, they've passed the Upper House in South Australia and a Bill is about to be tabled in Queensland," he said.
"NSW is the only state in Australia that at this stage doesn't have a VAD bill before the house. That is what we desperately want."
Illawarra DWD will hold another stall at Crown Street Mall in Wollongong on Friday, May 28 from 10am to 2pm.
Residents are encouraged to drop by and talk to stall volunteers about the issue and also sign a petition which calls on members of Parliament to work collaboratively on the Bill.
More than 45,000 people have already signed the petition, with organisers hoping to reach 100,000 before taking it to parliament.
Do you have a story or news tip to share? Email us on alatifi@illawarramercury.com.au
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
