Helping people die on their own terms — why Bhawani became a VAD practitioner

Conversations

Bhawani O'Brien's first name means "giver of life" in Tamil, which is ironic she says, because one of the greatest privileges of her life has been helping more than 100 people in their dying moments as a voluntary assisted dying practitioner.

Bhawani grew up in Malaysia with Sri Lankan parents, both of whom were doctors.

She was also expected to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or an accountant. Luckily for her, she adored her father, and followed his footsteps into medical school without protest.

But after decades working as a GP, Bhawani had lost her purpose and also her beloved father, who died back at home in Malaysia while Bhawani was stuck behind locked borders in Western Australia.

Not long after his death, she found a random pamphlet in her pigeonhole at work.

It was about voluntary assisted dying, which became legal in WA in 2021, and it changed the course of Bhawani's professional and personal life.

This episode of Conversations explores death, grief, grieving, cancer, terminal illness, Neurodegenerative disorders, VAD, voluntary assisted dying, living wakes, euthanasia, palliative care, how to say goodbye, how to grieve, doctors, GP, medical fraternity, medical community, migration, multiculturalism, prejudice.