Antonya Cooper dead: Mum who admitted ending life of terminally ill son to stop his suffering dies after cancer battle

By Jane Atkinson, published yesterday

When Antonya Cooper admitted she had ended the life of her terminally ill son Hamish when he was just seven years old, she knew she would cause outrage.

Some of the response has actually been horrific, with cruel people calling her a murderer and a horrible bitch, and ­several have said she should immediately be arrested and sent to prison.

I don’t. I can feel nothing but absolute sympathy for Antonya because she has suffered enough.

She told BBC Radio Oxford this week that 43 years ago her little boy had stage four cancer and asked her to ease his “most horrendous suffering”, so she gave him “a large dose of morphine that did quietly end his life”.

I cannot imagine the torture she went through doing this heartbreaking, selfless act for the little boy she adored and who she wanted to be with for ever.

When he was first ­diagnosed with the rare cancer neuroblastoma, little Hamish was the same age as my five-year-old son, and I would like to think that if I was in that same horrific position, I would somehow find that stomach- churning strength to do exactly the same thing if there was ­absolutely no hope left.

Hamish underwent 16 months of “beastly” cancer treatment that left him in constant agony.

On the last night of his life, Antonya asked him: “Would you like me to remove the pain?” and he said: “Yes please, Mama.”

She says she believes he knew what was going to happen, adding: “I was his mother.

He loved his mother and I totally loved him, and I was not going to let him suffer, and I feel he really knew where he was going.”

She was determined not to let him go through more “horrendous suffering and intense pain”, saying: “It was the right thing to do . . . I was not going to allow him to go through that.”

Of course it was the right thing to do.

A caring, loving, devoted mother’s job is to protect her child, not watch them ­suffer. She eased his agony. Finally.

And since then Antonya has devoted her life to other children with the same cancer, after launching the charity ­Neuroblastoma UK.

Now, in what must be the cruellest twist of fate, the 77-year-old has terminal cancer herself — which is probably why she has decided that life is too short for her to keep her harrowing past decision secret.

She knows it could mean that she has potentially admitted to manslaughter or murder, and said of the police: “They would have to be quick, because I’m dying too.”

We all know that assisted suicide — the act of intentionally helping someone to end their life — and euthanasia, the ­deliberate ending of a person’s life, are both illegal in the UK, and Thames ­Valley Police are “making inquiries” into Antonya’s case.

And yes, in the eyes of the law, she has committed a crime.

But I hope they see sense, have some compassion and realise there are more pressing offences to deal with than this crime of total love.

The pain of losing her little boy in the way Antonya did is a life sentence in itself.

And every person who calls her a ­horrible bitch should take a look at their own child — or that of a loved one — and ask what they would really, really do if that person was slowly and painfully dying in front of them and needed help.

Antonya says she is not a religious ­person, but adds there is “a tiny voice inside me that believes it would be wonderful if I could cuddle Hamish again”.

I truly hope that tiny voice is right.

I bet he runs into her arms, because that little boy up in heaven will be truly proud to call this amazingly brave woman his Mama.