In July 2022, 46-year-old Dan Tuckley, a former soldier and fitness enthusiast from Derby, visited hospital with what he thought was a pulled muscle after a gym session. Instead, he was told he had renal medullary carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer. Within weeks, the tumour had grown fivefold and doctors told him there was nothing more they could do. He was given a terminal diagnosis and sent home.

Dan’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Within days, he could no longer eat, digest food, or speak easily. He faced the unbearable prospect of dying slowly, in pain and without control. Like many others in his position, Dan began researching assisted dying options. In the UK, the law did not permit the kind of peaceful, dignified death he sought. Determined to avoid unnecessary suffering, he made the heartbreaking decision to travel to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.

Together with his wife, Sarah, and his sister Kate, Dan planned what they came to call “Operation F*** Cancer”. They chartered a private flight, made difficult arrangements and crossed into Switzerland, not knowing if they might face legal consequences simply for helping Dan find peace.

Despite the pain he was in, Dan shared one last family dinner. He chose the wine and food for his loved ones, even though he could not drink or eat himself. “Even prisoners on death row are allowed a last meal,” his sister Kate reflected. “That was stolen from Dan.”

On 22 September 2022, surrounded by those he loved, Dan died at the assisted dying clinic near Basel. He listened to Frank Sinatra’s My Way as he passed, calmly, painlessly, and in control.

The Aftermath: Treated Like Criminals

Dan’s family returned home to grief and silence. Then, in December 2022, Sarah received a knock at the door from Derbyshire Police. Officers informed her that she was being investigated for assisting suicide, a criminal offence under UK law. Though the investigation was eventually dropped and no charges were brought, the experience left the family devastated.

“I opened the door and they said it was Derbyshire Police. I knew there was a risk, but when they said ‘police’ it didn’t even register. I kept telling them it was not assisted suicide. It was assisted dying,” Sarah said.

Kate added: “It makes me furious that Sarah had to go through that, on her own, after everything we had already endured. It made us feel like criminals for something we did out of love.”

A Call for Change

Dan’s story is not unique. But it is a painful reminder of the suffering that current UK law imposes on dying people and their families. Denied the right to choose how and when to end his life, Dan was forced to travel abroad at great emotional and financial cost.

At My Death, My Decision and Humanists UK, we believe that no one should have to face criminal investigation for supporting a loved one’s final choice. We believe everyone facing a terminal or incurable condition deserves the right to die with dignity, surrounded by those they love, and without fear.

Dan’s family are now urging MPs to support a compassionate, evidence-based change in the law on assisted dying. They do not want other families to endure the pain, fear and legal uncertainty they did.

“Dan wanted to pass on his terms, while he was still him. He served his country. He deserved better from it at the end.”