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Wendy Mitchell (activist)

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Wendy Patricia Mitchell (31 January 1956 – 22 February 2024) was an English writer and activist.

Biography

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Mitchell was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire as Wendy Patricia Draper.[1] She grew up in her family's pub and was a sportswoman during her school years in Pontefract.[2] She later became a fell-walker in the Lake District.[2]

Mitchell raised her two daughters as a single mother while working as a cleaner and later in administrative roles within the NHS.[2][1] After being diagnosed with dementia, she retired from her position as a rota manager at Leeds General Infirmary.[2] She then campaigned for workplaces to support employees newly diagnosed with dementia.[2]

In retirement, Mitchell pursued writing and photography, capturing local wildlife in her village of Walkington.[2] She contributed to various organizations, including Innovations in Dementia and York Minds and Voices, and advised on the BBC TV series Casualty and the film Still Alice (2014).[2]

Mitchell raised funds for Dementia UK through annual challenges, which included skydiving, firewalking, and wing walking.[2] She chose to end her life through the voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), a topic she discussed in her book One Last Thing.[2] In her final blog post, she expressed her belief that she had taken control of her own life and urged others to campaign for assisted dying laws.[2]

Mitchell authored three books. She died on 22 February 2024, at the age of 68.[1]

Bibliography

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Her published works are:[1][2][3]

  • Mitchell, Wendy (2018). Somebody I used to know. Ballantine Books. ISBN 9781524797911.
  • Mitchell, Wendy (2022). What I wish people knew about dementia: from someone who knows. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781526634481.
  • Mitchell, Wendy (2023). One last thing: how to live with the end in mind. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 9781526658753.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Obituaries, Telegraph (23 February 2024). "Wendy Mitchell, campaigner for dementia awareness who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's aged 58 – obituary". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wharton, Anna (26 February 2024). "Wendy Mitchell obituary". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Wendy Mitchell dead: Author and dementia campaigner announces own death". The Independent. 23 February 2024.