June 1, 2022
The Last Waltz by Sean Davison
The Last Waltz by Sean Davison – July 2019 Update – Cape Town Sth Africa
Sean has been sentenced to three years House Arrest and a Five Year Suspended Sentence for assisting in the suicides of three men, in excruciating pain, to gently leave this life.
1) ANRICH BURGER, a medical doctor, became a quadriplegic after a car accident in 2005. He suffered severe nerve pain in his legs and was unable to consume medication on his own.
2) JUSTIN VARIAN had a stroke in 2010; was diagnosed with motor neuron disease one year later; and remained bedridden and in excruciating pain.
3) RICHARD HOLLAND, a sportsman, had a bicycle accident in 2012 that resulted in: severe brain injuries; the loss of motor functions; an inability to communicate; leaving him in acute pain, with migraines and muscle spasticity.
All three men needed assistance for their suicides.
THE LAST WALTZ: LOVE, DEATH & BETRAYAL, by Sean Davison, is an enthralling memoir that tells the heartbreaking story of what happens when patients who are suffering do not have the option of assisted death.
THE LAST WALTZ is the story of an extraordinary love between a terminally-ill mother and son, and how their informed decisions lead to unforeseen consequences: A sister betrays her brother; a son is charged with murder; Archbishop Desmond Tutu requests bail; igniting a public debate about voluntary euthanasia and the right to die.
“A Gripping, Tragic, and All Too Human Story” by Gavin Landreth (Book Review)
The Weekend Star, South Africa
From the very first line in the book, you know what is going to happen in the pages to follow. Or think you do. The author is losing his 85-year-old mother to cancer. Catching the earliest flight possible to New Zealand, where she lives, he prepares for what is clearly a sad event. Her children come from different corners of the world to bid their farewells to this extraordinary woman. Stories and anecdotes are woven around and through the central series of events towards her death: intense and intriguing sibling rivalry, deception, responsibility, quirky characters, and an oblivious cat all add to the rich fabric of this book. The dark story is studded with wit and brutal honesty. As her principal caregiver and protector, the author is faced with daily decisions and dilemmas, culminating in the most devastating of all: can he, as is her wish, put an end to her suffering? Can he kill her? And the drama is just beginning… The Last Waltz is gripping, tragic, and real, and will resonate with everyone who has had a loved one dying and suffering until the bitter end.”
Sean has been a professor of biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape since 2004. He has supervised their forensic DNA laboratory, working with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to identify the remains of anti-apartheid activists. Sean also designed a DNA kit to help identify suspects in gang rapes, a service that is provided for free to rape victims.
As the founder of the right-to-die organization DignitySA, the professor was ecstatic when assisted dying legislation was passed in South Africa in 2015. Unfortunately, the Appeals Court reversed that decision.
How can it be, in 2019, so many voices crying into the night in unbearable pain, pleading for a good death, a peaceful death, a compassionate death.
Along with three years House Arrest, Sean received a five-year Suspended Sentence, meaning he will be sent to prison if he commits a crime.
The professor was strategically targeted for arrest, just as he was leaving Cape Town to join his family and a new life in Australia.
Who would trade places with Anrich Burger, Justin Varian, or Richard Holland?
The fact that people, living in countries that prohibit assisted dying, are forced to endure a long and excruciating demise, is poignant and cruel.
Update
In 2020, as a result of these convictions the New Zealand Medical Board struck Sean off their register, prohibiting him from ever working in biotechnology in that country.
The Last Waltz is available at Amazon.com