Following a long and painful battle, Lily Thai has "passed away peacefully" via newly passed voluntary assisted dying laws in South Australia.
As previously reported, Lily had a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which causes the sufferer’s joints to become very loose and their skin turns fragile.
She recently signed off on the paperwork to end her life after the state enacted voluntary assisted dying laws back in January, which involves the government paying $18 million over the next five years to support safe access to the new euthanasia service.
It has been reported by Lily's family that on Wednesday (June 21), doctors in Australia administered an IV medication that ended the 23-year-old's life within 10 seconds.
According to a funeral notice published in The Advertiser, the young South Australian "passed away peacefully" at Laurel Hospice at the Flinders Medical Centre.
"Much loved daughter of Kate and Le," the notice read. "Beloved granddaughter, niece and cousin."
"Treasured friend to many," it continued. "You may have gone from our sight but you are never gone from our hearts."
The young woman suffered from auto-immune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) - which is an extremely rare condition in which the body's immune system attacks the nervous system, leaving her with a deteriorating quality of life since she was 17.
Living with the condition for the last couple of years meant that she was bedridden in constant pain, with the illness affecting her joints, skin, and walls of the blood vessels.
She initially thought her poor health was a result of a spinal fluid leak, but after undergoing treatment to sort out the issue, her circumstances remained the same and doctors were unsure as to how to improve the state of her health.
As a desperate last measure, she traveled to Sydney at the age of 21 to meet a surgeon who "specialized in spinal issues (for) patients with EDS" when she was 21. By that time, she weighed just 88lbs and was wearing a halo brace, and had to have a nasal feeding tube because she "couldn't keep anything down".
Lily revealed the reason why she wanted to end her life in a final interview with the publication, saying: "I’ll no longer have any pain, I will no longer suffer with any of these issues, and I’ll finally be free of all the suffering that I have endured for so many years."
She also shared with the publication that the decision was made because: "I realized that I can’t have any more anesthesia, so I (couldn’t) have any more feeding tube changes (or) surgeries," and added that due to the debilitating disorder, she relied on her father to do everything for her, "even the most intimate things".
In the final days before her passing, Lily said she was not "well enough to leave the hospital" and was unable of doing any kind of final activities. "It’s now my time to choose what is right for me. I’ve been given a choice, and that is to die peacefully," she said, according to 7News.
One of her final memories is a poignant outing to the beach on Monday (June 19) with her friend, Danika Pederzolli. The pair ate McDonald's and enjoyed the peaceful sounds of the ocean.
Danika spoke about her friendship with Lily to the outlet, saying: I’ll miss her greatly. Lily’s just a really beautiful person, (and) having her in our lives - we’ve been very lucky to know her."
Needless to say that the young woman's family and friends were heartbroken by her decision. They lined up at the hospital to say their last goodbyes to her, and will also host an intimate funeral to honor her memory.
The young hero hopes that sharing her story will raise money for The Hospital Research Foundation to help establish a palliative care area for young people.
Our thoughts are with Lily's family and friends at this time.