Mélanie Lachance, 42, will die this Saturday, January 13th. Because she was suffering from incurable cancer, she asked for medical help in dying. The radiant Beauceronne will have lived her life to the fullest, with a beautiful graduation in 2023.
On the occasion of her last holidays, Mélanie Lachance achieved great things. Family and friendly gatherings took place almost daily at his residence. On New Year's Eve, more than a hundred people gathered at Fraser Chapel in Beauceville to celebrate her life.
“At midnight mass in Saint-Georges I met many people I hadn’t seen for a long time. There were at least forty of us in my house at the same time. There was a lot of mutual support because I wasn't able to get very involved in the preparations. We even had a poke bowl bar, an idea that was brought up at my funeral,” explains Ms. Lachance.
Persistent suffering
Mélanie Lachance was content with her decision to leave the earthly world and had suffered physically for many years. In 2008, at the age of 26, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The latter was already the mother of two little girls and also took in children from the DPJ as foster homes.
“The doctors used an old protocol to attempt my remission. I was allergic to the two treatments reserved for this cancer. It caused tremendous swelling in my body. Even after the cancer cells were gone, I had stomach pains. When I had gastrointestinal problems, I went to the hospital in an ambulance,” she remembers.
In the following decade, Mélanie Lachance continued her life almost normally. Founding her photography company Fée Orange is one of her greatest professional achievements.
“I loved meeting people so they could have a good time. It's positive work with a great human side. Some people backed off and ended up having fun,” she confirms.
Unfortunately, cancer comes back in a different form. After tests related to Graves' disease, a form of hyperthyroidism, doctors discovered a mass in his abdomen. In February 2022, Mélanie Lachance received the sad verdict: her cancer had metastasized to her muscles.
“The only treatment they could offer me was to slow the progression of the cancer. I suffered every day and the medication never took away all the pain. “I then gave myself a year to live intensively,” she explains.
Collect memories
Despite the suffering, Mélanie Lachance was full of energy and lived to the fullest in the months following her diagnosis. She notably traveled to Hawaii, Paris and Western Canada, was a skydiver, and took part in the Quebec Summer Festival and the Osheaga Festival in Montreal.
Mélanie did this for herself, but above all so that her daughters Maya and Elsy would have lasting memories of their mother. The children, now 20 and 18 years old, each received a backpack a few hours before their death. These will contain various objects, the contents of which Mélanie has not revealed.
“I had the opportunity to watch her grow up. Since they have always seen me sick, their emotional maturity is very high. These are now young women you can turn to because life goes on,” says Ms Lachance.
On Thursday, January 11, Mélanie Lachance will attend Alexandra Stréliski's concert in Quebec. This will be his last outing. His supervised death will take place in a chalet. Another chalet nearby will serve as a dormitory for his loved ones and, most importantly, as the site of the final party to celebrate his time on earth.
What is his ultimate message to our readers? “You don’t have to wait for sad times to come together. It’s important to have fun and be happy together,” concludes Mélanie Lachance.