Andrew's wish to die early fulfilled

Andrew Morris, the 39-year-old with motor neurone disease who planned to starve himself to death rather than wait for the disease to kill him, has died.

Mr Morris featured in the Herald in January when he went public with his decision.

A member of the pro-euthanasia group Exit New Zealand, he wanted changes to the law to allow voluntary euthanasia.

The Hamilton man, who was diagnosed with progressive bulbar palsy, a form of motor neurone disease, died at home early yesterday morning from bronchial pneumonia.

His primary caregiver Phillipa Grace and mother Barbara were with him.

Yesterday Ms Grace said Mr Morris had progressively stopped the liquid food he had been eating.

He had been on a drip but difficulties developed when his body could no longer absorb the liquid.

At the weekend he became ill with pneumonia.

Motor neurone disease involves degeneration of the nerves within the central nervous system.

Eventually the muscles weaken and waste away.

In the later stages of the disease the person cannot speak, swallow or move but the senses and the ability to think are generally retained.

Most people die within two to four years of diagnosis.

In January Mr Morris told the Herald he did not want to wait for his condition to progress "through to its natural end, whereby I will be effectively unable to move at all".

He wanted his loved ones present when he died and did not want to be kept alive artificially.

Mr Morris' funeral will be held in his home town of Paeroa on Saturday.