Nova Scotia woman was approved for euthanasia is alive after being treated in the US

Jennifer Brady was denied medical treatment but approved for euthanasia, has changed her mind after being treated in the US.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Jennifer Brady

An article by Angela McIvor that was published by CBC News on September 18, 2024 explained that Jennifer Brady, who lives in Nova Scotia, was approved for MAiD (euthanasia) after being unable to obtain treatment for Lymphedema. Lymphedma is a condition that causes an accumulation of fluid and can result in painful swelling, increased risk of blood infection, cellulitis and hardening of the skin.

The good news is that McIvor published an update to the story that was published by CBC News on September 18, 2025 explaining that Brady won a 6-year court battle with the Nova Scotia government and has received treatment in New Jersey. McIvor wrote:

After years of fighting the N.S. government for coverage, Jennifer Brady recently had lymphedema surgery

McIvor continues:

Brady went public one year ago with her application for medical assistance in dying. At the time, she spent several hours a day managing her disease, feeling severely depressed and unable to care for her two children.

Then, last October, after winning a judicial review against Nova Scotia's Department of Health and Wellness, Premier Tim Houston publicly apologized to Brady. He also promised to pay for her future treatment.

McIvor explained more about the legal battle for the right to be receive treatment:

In 2022, Brady took her fight to Nova Scotia Supreme Court after her requests for out-of-province care were repeatedly denied on the grounds she did not have a referral from a Nova Scotia specialist. Justice Timothy Gabriel pinpointed in his Oct. 2024 decision how MSI, the medical insurer for Nova Scotia, refused to acknowledge there is no such specialist in the province.

He ruled that Brady was "treated in a procedurally unfair manner" and the decision made by the province to deny care was "unreasonable."

The great news is that Brady changed her mind about euthanasia after receiving treatment:

Since having a lymph node transplant on July 16 at The Valley Hospital in Paramus, N.J., Brady said she's feeling remarkable improvement. She said she can see her kneecaps for the first time in years, and she no longer needs a massage machine that previously tethered her to the couch for six hours a day.

She has also taken her medical assistance in dying (MAID) application off the table.

Jennifer Brady is not the first Canadian who was not offered medical treatment but offered euthanasia, but then received successful treatment in the US.

Allison Ducluzeau

In December 2023 I published an article about Allison Ducluzeau who lives in Victoria BC. Allison was diagnosed with abdominal cancer and offered MAiD (euthanasia) rather than treatment, but she was successfully treated at the Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy Medical Centre in Baltimore.

Allison Ducluzeau was offered euthanasia but not medical treatment. The Ducluzeau story concerned the fact that she was suing the BC Ministry of Health for the cost of the successful treatment that she received in Baltimore.

Like Brady, Ducluzeau was able to die by euthanasia but was not being offered the option of medical treatment for her condition.