A BRITISH mum is travelling to Switzerland to end her life after losing her son in a tragic accident.

Former care worker Wendy Duffy, 56, who is physically healthy, is travelling from the West Midlands to the controversial Pegasos clinic today.

After a year of planning the facility has agreed to help the grieving mum end her life after her only child, aspiring musician Marcus, choked to death four years ago.

She has undergone years of therapy and antidepressants – but says she has been unable to come to terms with his death.

Wendy, who has previously attempted to take her own life, has been through a rigorous application process with her suffering deemed sufficient by a panel of experts to meet the Pegasos criteria.

Psychiatrists and other experts with full access to Wendy’s medical records passed her following months of consideration.

Wendy has told her four sisters and two brothers about her decision, and has written letters to her loved ones ahead of her journey to the Pegasos non-profit voluntary assisted dying organisation in Switzerland.

She has even picked out what she is going to wear on her deathbed and chosen the music that will be the last thing she hears.

But while her family have been informed of her choice to end her life in Switzerland, they have not been told the timeline for their own protection.

If anyone had travelled with her or assisted in any way they may risk prosecution under UK law.

Under Swiss law, it is illegal for Pegasos to profit from assisted dying, although Wendy has paid £10,000 for her trip to the facility.

Clients of Pegasos, a non-profit organisation, fund their own medication and pay for their own doctors and funeral costs.

A small amount of the cash paid by clients like Wendy also goes to the Swiss state.

Wendy decided to end her life after losing Marcus, her only son. She told The Daily Mail that all she had ever wanted was to be a mother.

She explained: “The day I discovered I was pregnant with Marcus was the happiest of my life.”

But when he tragically died, Wendy was left “broken”.

Marcus had fallen asleep on the living room sofa while eating a sandwich his mum made him. Hungover, he had choked on his food.

The heartbroken mother had scrambled to save her son, performing CPR on him herself before paramedics arrived and battled to save his life.

Wendy, who sat with her son in hospital for five days before he passed away, said the traumatic death left her suffering with nightmares.

After her son’s death she would go to visit him every day in the funeral home, playing his favourite songs for him.

Wendy explained: “In the funeral home, I went in every day, and just sat with him, playing through his Spotify list. I broke when I saw him in there. My boy, on a metal table. You can’t come back from that, you know.”

She went on: “That’s when I died too, inside. I’m not the same person now as I was. I used to feel things. I’d go to funerals after Marcus died, and I’d feel nothing. It’s why I had to give up work. You can’t be a carer if you don’t care, and I’m sorry, but I don’t. I don’t care about anything any more. I exist. I don’t live.”

Wendy attempted to take her own life nine months after her son’s death, but police broke into her home after a friend raised the alarm when she failed to answer messages.

She was left on a ventilator in hospital for two weeks before being released into a psychiatric ward and discharging herself after one night.

The grieving mother received counselling both on the NHS and privately and was put on anti-depressants.

Wendy said she tried to get better but ultimately decided that the experts and drugs had been no help to her.

She maintains that her life is “agony”, saying she simply does not want to live without her son.

When Wendy passes away she will be wearing a t-shirt that belonged to her beloved son which still smells like him, she says.

After finding out about Pegasos through the news, Wendy sent off for more information, and in 2025 she issued a formal application to the clinic.

Since then she has had constant back and forth with the facility, completing application forms and interviews.

So far all of Wendy’s communication with the clinic has been online via Whatsapp and email, though she will come face-to-face with a psychiatrist for an assessment when she arrives in Switzerland.

Wendy paid an initial £5,000 at the point her application was formalised and has now settled the balance of £10,000, which is her life savings.

She has now cleared out everything at home and her family have been instructed where to find the letters she penned for them.

It comes as the assisted dying bill is set to be delayed this parliamentary session, with the House of Lords due to run out of time on Friday to debate the legislation.

The controversial bill has passed through the Commons twice already but would need to clear further revising stages in the Lords to become law.

Supporters claim there are dozens of back bench MPs willing to revive the bill next parliamentary session.

Wendy shared her story in the hopes of drawing attention to the unfairness of the current system in the UK – the mother is due to fly to Switzerland today.