“I watched him get worse day after day right before my eyes. The waiting was agonizing. Fortunately, he was able to die at home, with me by his side.” Gino Alfonsetti is Alan’s father. Alan, 49, from Cavagnolo, near Turin, had to wait more than eight months to access medically assisted suicide. As La Stampa reported, it was the first such case in Piedmont. In the absence of a law, Alan had to wait as the local health authority, ASL TO4, grappled with questions, doubts and concerns. With no regional procedure in place, the health authority had assembled an interdisciplinary commission. But after determining that Alan was “eligible” under the criteria established by Italy’s Constitutional Court, it said it could not actually provide the medication or assistance. Then a directive from the Piedmont regional health department clarified the procedures, allowing Alan to end a life he had long felt was no longer worth living.

More than six months have passed since that day.

“Yes. Alan died on Feb. 6. He had a degenerative disease that, within a few years, left him unable to walk, swallow or eat, and barely able to speak. I watched my son, back when he could still do certain things, crawl around in a diaper to bring food to his cat. And he begged me to help him die.”

When did this ordeal begin?

“Five years ago, when the disease started causing him serious problems. He left Padua and his job and moved in with me. I watched him deteriorate month after month right before my eyes. It was incredibly painful for a father. I can only imagine what it was like for him, since he had decided he wanted to die.”

How did you proceed?

“We pursued two options in parallel. On one side, there was ASL TO4; on the other, Switzerland. I spent my time sending emails, making calls and forwarding medical reports. He would constantly ask me if there was any news.”

How difficult was it to deal with the health system?

“It’s not that anyone physically prevented me from doing anything, but everything moved very slowly. A lot of time passed between the response and the moment they decided to come to our home for the first time with the commission. The procedures are simply too slow for people who are suffering, for someone who asks you every other day, ‘Dad, I can’t take it anymore. I’m in pain.’ When his friends, who were very close to him, asked whether he was sure about his decision, he would simply say: ‘This is not a life. I would leave it tomorrow.’”

What did the health authority tell you?

“That they had to make a decision, that we had to wait. And because there were no rules, they were afraid of making a mistake.”

And that’s when Switzerland became an option.

“Yes. As Marco Cappato says, this system simply pushes people to find another way. The appointment in Switzerland was scheduled for the following week. Fortunately, everything suddenly moved forward here. Thank God, because I was terrified. The thought of having to take him there in that condition frightened me terribly. Fortunately, the Luca Coscioni Association gave me guidance and support from the very beginning.”

What would you say to people who oppose assisted dying and, for example, argue that palliative care is the alternative?

“I’d rather not say anything. I just hope that what happened to Alan can also help others in the future.”