Wife of Quebec man who chose assisted death describes ER stay as coroner’s inquest opens
Global News
On Monday, Sylvie Brosseau spoke publicly as a coroner’s inquiry began into the death of her longtime partner, Normand Meunier, who died last year.
Warning: This story contains sensitive subject matter. Discretion is advised.
The wife of a man who sought assisted death following a disastrous emergency room stay in Quebec is accusing the healthcare system of negligence.
On Monday, Sylvie Brosseau spoke publicly as a coroner’s inquiry began into the death of her longtime partner, Normand Meunier, who died last year.
Meunier, a 66-year-old quadriplegic, spent four days on a stretcher in the emergency room at Saint-Jérôme Hospital, northwest of Montreal, in January 2024.
He developed severe pressure sores during that stay — a complication that ultimately led him to choose medically-assisted death.
“It was horrifying,” Brosseau said through tears during the hearing. “The last two weeks of his life were unbearable.”
In his opening statement, coroner Dave Kimpton extended his condolences to Meunier’s family. He will hear from more than 30 witnesses in an effort to understand how Meunier’s condition deteriorated so drastically under hospital care.
Meunier had been paralyzed in 2022 after collapsing at home and undergoing surgery. A former truck driver, he was described by Brosseau as energetic and full of life before his injury.
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