Staff Picks October 24, 2017
New film to feature young Canadian with cerebral palsy
By Agnieszka Ruck
Candice Lewis paints at home in St. Anthony's, N.L. (Photo courtesy Sheila Elson)
VANCOUVER—A 25-year-old Newfoundland woman who made headlines this summer about her mistreatment in hospital is now featured in a new documentary.
Candice Lewis has spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and other serious medical conditions. Last November, she got very sick and was hospitalized. That's when a doctor told Lewis' mother, Sheila Elson, that assisted suicide was legal in Canada.
"I was shocked and said, 'Well, I'm not really interested,' and he told me I was being selfish," Elson told CBC.
Lewis, who had expressed no desire to die, had been in earshot. It was a traumatic experience.
Now, the pair is sharing their story in a documentary about the societal impacts of assisted suicide in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.S.A. Fatal Flaws will be released in 2018.