Chantal Sebire found dead at home
A FRENCH woman with a rare facial tumour, whose plea for doctor-assisted suicide was rejected by a court earlier this week, has died.
The Associated Press reports Chantal Sebire, 52, was found dead in her home in eastern France. It is not yet known how she died.
Ms Sebire was diagnosed with esthesioneuroblastoma eight years ago, which left her nearly blind and with no sense of taste or smell. As the tumour burrowed through her sinuses and nasal cavities, her nose swelled to several times its size and one eye socket was pushed out of her head, AP reports.
In a television interview, Ms Sebire urged French President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene and grant her request for a prescription of lethal drugs.
"In 2000, I lost the sense of smell and taste ... and I lost my sight in October 2007."
"One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured.''
On Monday, a court in Dijon rejected her plea for a doctor to administer a lethal dose of barbiturates.
After the decision was handed down, Ms Sebire said she would find life-terminating drugs through other means.
"I now know how to get my hands on what I need and if I don't get it in France, I will get it elsewhere,'' she said.
The case revived debate in France over the right to die.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23407038-2,00.html
Poor lady may of taken her own life
