Son whose mum left letter after taking own life issues plea for those against assisted dying

A grandmother who suffered from 'excruciating pain' heartbreakingly put her favourite clothes and jewellery on before at home.

Maureen Smith, 80, tragically died alone on her bathroom floor in January after being denied the opportunity to have a peaceful death surrounded by loved ones, due to the law as it stands. Her son, George Smith, 56, has now appealed to MPs to vote for new legislation on .

Maureen lived with trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve condition that sees sufferers endure an electric shock-like pain in their bodies in sudden attacks, which her family said would sometimes see her fall to the floor. She had previously undergone a "hugely invasive operation" to alleviate the pain.

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But a few years later, the attacks returned and she "did not want to go through [surgery] again", George explained. He said: "She was quite vocal about that, but we hadn't appreciated that she was at that stage when she took her life. We were aware that the pain was coming back, but she was telling us that it was manageable.

"But after she had taken her life, it transpired in her beautiful, articulate letter, explaining that it had just got too much, and she had kept that from us." George, a father-of-one, has described legalising assisted dying as a "huge opportunity for the country", which he believes is "long overdue".

Maureen, who had owned a record shop, was a "very positive, upbeat person who lived a simple, basic life, but a happy life", George said, adding: "In spite of her condition - she had multiple sclerosis from a young age, and so throughout my life, more or less - she didn't let that impede her life.

"And that's what I'd like to get across. My mother was not a depressed woman at all. On the contrary, yeah, she considered herself very lucky."

George, from Essex, continued: "It's a personal choice, and that my mother would have, and us as a family, would have loved to have said goodbyes. We so wish she hadn't done it on her own, but we do feel lucky, in as much that she appears to have died peacefully."

Campaigners opposed to a change in the law have voiced concerns about some groups, including the disabled and the elderly, being vulnerable to coercion. George said the most at risk in society must "absolutely" be protected and "the law must be robust enough that it covers that".

Reflecting on his mother's death, he said: "I am angry in that she had to die alone on her bathroom floor, but I'm at peace because she was lucky - and that sounds ironic - that she appears to have died peacefully. She put on her best clothes, she put on her favourite jewellery. She made a bed on the floor of her small bathroom."

But he said Maureen would have been "acutely aware of the collateral damage that she was causing by doing it in this way", saying the family have had to go through an inquest due to the circumstances. He said: "Of course, we would have liked it, you know, another way.

"In a medical environment where there would have been guarantees, where we could have been with her and shared our last moments, if that's what she had wanted, which we think she would have done, and we as a family certainly would have wanted that.

"And we were denied all of that. And this law, if it's widened to cover incurable pain, we'd have been protected and we would have got that and that's what my mum would have wanted. And that's certainly what I would want if I find myself in a similar position."

The detail of the proposed legislation is expected at a later date, with Labour MP Kim Leadbeater having pledged to consult widely before bringing it to Parliament for debate and a vote. George said it must extend to those with incurable suffering as it is "almost worst than terminal illness" because "there's no end in sight".

Trevor Moore, chairman of campaign group My Death, My Decision, said: "Maureen's heart-wrenching ordeal exposes the cruelty of our current law on assisted dying. Faced with a lonely and devastating decision, Maureen took matters into her own hands and her death still haunts the loved ones she left behind.

"Sadly, this tragic experience is not an isolated case, as our blanket ban on assisted dying in the UK continues to inflict unnecessary suffering on countless individuals up and down the country."

Christian Action Research and Education (Care) has argued that it is "vitally important" that people get the right care but that "assisted suicide is not the response dying people deserve". Ross Hendry, its chief executive, said: "This practice denies the intrinsic value of human life and sends a message that some lives aren't worth living.

"Disabled people, professionals working with vulnerable adults, and many others find the prospect of a law change frightening. No number of safeguards could remove the threat of vulnerable people being coerced into ending their lives. Neither could they prevent people choosing to die because they feel like a burden, or because they don't have support."

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email or head to the to find your nearest branch. You matter.

Do you have a story to share? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.

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