Colin Marriage

He asked many times why his suffering was being prolonged

Colin Marriage’s story, written by his sister Kelley.

When my brother Colin was diagnosed with terminal cancer last October, aged just 40, we reassured him that pain relief and care is so good these days that he would be able to die peacefully and in comfort, and that we would be with him. The care that Colin received at the end of his life was excellent.

He decided to die in hospital and the staff were fantastic. They moved a bed into the room so that his partner could be with him, helped us to organise a beautiful and moving wedding and gave him all the care and treatment he needed. The doctors did all they could within the law to help him.

Despite their best efforts Colin did not have the death he wished for. In the week leading up to his death Colin asked his doctor how long he had left – when the doctor told him he expected him to live for about another week he cried – the first time I had seen him cry since he was a child – not because he had so little time left but because he was in such pain, unable to eat or sleep properly, and could not stop being sick.

He simply could not bear the thought of another week of life. He asked many times why his suffering was being prolonged, and one of the last things he said to me was that it wasn’t right to treat people in such a way.