CW: Assisted Suicide
A coroner’s inquiry is underway in Montreal into the death of Normand Meunier, a man who opted for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) after developing severe bedsore during a hospital stay.
The 66-year-old man from Quebec who was quadriplegic died by assisted suicide in March of 2024 after getting horrible bedsore — with bone and muscle exposed. He acquired the sore during his four-day hospital stay on a stretcher in Saint-Jérôme, Que., two months before.
He and his partner Sylvie Brosseau requested a special alternating pressure mattress, but it did not come on time. Photos of the pressure sore, obtained by CTV News but not permitted for publication, show a deep, gaping wound, several centimeters wide.
The couple consulted medical professionals, who advised them that the wound could take months to heal. Meunier, who was in pain and tired, decided to end his own life using MAiD (medical assistance in dying).
Pressure injuries are costly to the healthcare system as well Every year, around 2.5 million people in the US suffer from hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs), which are largely preventable. Many patients who get pressure injuries during an acute care episode are elderly, underweight, and have been in the hospital for an extended period. Pressure injuries can cause significant suffering, including chronic wounds and up to 60,000 fatalities annually.
HAPI care places an enormous financial strain on healthcare systems. Previous estimates of the national cost of treating HAPIs ranged between $3.3 billion and $11 billion per year. For instance, recent claims by Medicare enrollees revealed that chronic pressure injury care costs almost $22 billion. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) lowered coverage for hospital-acquired diseases, including HAPIs, leaving hospitals to bear the full financial burden of these harms. A single HAPI episode can cost between $500 and $70,000.
The public inquiry into Meunier’s death began Monday at the Montreal courthouse. It is slated to last until June. Coroner Dave Kimpton began proceedings by acknowledging the “charged emotion” of the case and urging all participants to remain respectful.
More than 30 witnesses are expected to testify, including doctors, nurses, and other Saint-Jérôme Hospital staff. Brosseau is scheduled to testify on May 15. She has stated that she intends to set the record straight regarding Normand’s situation. “There’s a lot being said in court, but it’s not all accurate,” she said. “That’s why we demanded a public inquiry — not one behind closed doors.”
Meunier sustained a spinal cord injury in 2022, which left him quadriplegic. He received assistance from Moëlle Épinière et Motricité Québec (MÉMO-Qc), an advocacy organization for people with spinal cord injuries. According to Ariane Gauthier-Tremblay, an advocacy organizer with the organization, Meunier’s case is tragic—and not isolated.
“We have a list of our members who developed bedsores after a hospital stay — it’s something we observe in many facilities,” said Gauthier-Tremblay. “Often, there are protocols in place, but they’re not followed. There’s neglect, especially in prevention.”
The group’s executive director, Walter Zelaya, says Quebec has the knowledge and tools to prevent deaths like Meunier’s, but coordination is lacking. “We have the expertise and deaths like this one shouldn’t happen,” Zelaya said. “In emergency rooms, doctors will say, ‘I’m here to treat your heart, to keep you breathing — pressure sores aren’t important.’ But they can lead to death if not treated properly.”
People’s lives are at risk without proper care. Timely care is a matter of life or death. There’s no reason Meunier should’ve suffered. Care can’t wait because people’s lives depend on it.
Sources:
Dubreuil, Laurence Brisson. “Public Inquiry Launched into Quadriplegic Man Who Sought Maid Following Hospital-Acquired Bedsore.” CTVNews, Bell Media, 5 May 2025, http://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/public-inquiry-launched-into-quadriplegic-man-who-sought-maid-following-hospital-acquired-bedsore/.
Padula, William V, and Benjo A Delarmente. “The national cost of hospital-acquired pressure injuries in the United States.” International Wound Journal vol. 16,3 (2019): 634-640. doi:10.1111/iwj.13071
Watts, Rachel. “She’s Losing Her Foot to a Bedsore. Disability Advocates Say It Speaks to a Larger Problem.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 4 May 2024, http://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7193268.