After being diagnosed with one of the “worst diseases possible,” a courageous British mother of two made the heartbreaking decision to starve herself to death, ending the suffering of her children, whom she could no longer hug when they cried.
Now, her powerful story – and the emotional message she shared after her death – is touching hearts around the world.
In 2023, 42-year-old Emma Bray was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) – a terminal neurological condition that slowly robs the body of its ability to move, speak, eat, and eventually, breathe.
“I’ve had four different health professionals tell me I’ve got the worst disease possible,” the British mother of two told the Mirror in June 2025.
Speaking with the outlet through an eye gazing machine – a device that allows people to communicate using their eyes to control technology – Bray explained that within months of her diagnosis, she lost the ability to use her limbs, speak clearly, or carry out the simplest of daily tasks.
“I now feel I am at the stage where my quality of life is very affected, I can no longer use any of my limbs. My talking is severely affected, and I struggle to eat, and it’s getting harder to breathe. I am only really comfortable in bed, and social visits are exhausting,” she said.
“I can’t scratch an itch, push up my glasses, or move a bed sheet if I am too hot or cold. I feel like I am losing the essence of me. I am still so loved, but I can’t be myself, and I see that grief on everyone’s faces.”
Unable to console kids
And she couldn’t even console her two kids, 14 and 15, who suffered gravely for “two years, living with anticipatory grief” as they watched the disease take their mom “little by little.”
“Imagine seeing your children crying and upset and not be able to hug them or curl up in bed and wipe their tears away. This is hands down the thing I hate the most about motor neurone disease. It’s taken my children’s mum from them little by little,” the right-to-die activist shared, adding that she feared a traumatic, undignified death – choking in front of her children as her body continued to deteriorate.
“I can see their pain and grief on a daily basis and I would do anything to take that away from them. They are desperate for a hug from me and that hasn’t happened in years,” she told the Mirror in a separate article.
“There is never a good time to lose your mum but all my maternal instincts want to make that horrible reality as easy for them as I can.”
‘Last bit of parenting’
Hoping to spare her family from the “brutal” and “terrible” death she faced, Bray’s “last bit of parenting” was the agonizing choice to undergo voluntarily starvation.
Voluntary stopping eating and drinking (VSED) – a legal end-of-life option that typically leads to death within 10 to 14 days – is a difficult process, made bearable only with hospice care, compassion, and extraordinary courage.
“VSED is not an easy death, but with the current law in England, this is the only way I can have control over my death,” said Bray, who at the time of the interview had already planned her funeral and written her eulogy.
“I want to protect my children from seeing me choke and struggle to breathe. I don’t want to die, but I am going to and have come to terms with my impending death, and I know I want to die surrounded by loved ones, music and laughter, not in an emergency way after further decline.”
Final goodbye
On July 14, a final goodbye post was shared on Bray’s social media – a heartwarming message of love and peace that continues to move thousands.
“If you are reading this then I’ve finished my final spin round the sun. I’ve lived a very good life, surrounded by love, music and laughter and I want this to continue in my memory. Rather than shed a tear (or whilst you do) please plant a tree or call a friend, do a random act of kindness or take time to watch a sunset,” she wrote in the post alongside a photo that showed her lying in a bed on a deck, overlooking a group of trees.
“Hug everyone a little tighter and love openly. Please surround those who were closest to me with love, time and patience. And to quote Frank Turner – Remember you get to dance another day but now you have to dance for one more of us
“Love you, bye.”
Emma Bray’s story is a haunting reminder of the courage it takes to say goodbye. But it’s also a testament to a mother’s unwavering love – one that refused to let her children’s final memories be filled with fear and suffering.
Please let us know what you think of this heartbreaking story and then share it with your loved ones so we can also hear from them.
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