For those who do not like the idea of law-breaking by import- ing Nembutal back to their home country, there is always the option of dying in Peru. For Australian couple, Athol and Bev- erley Whiston, this was a viable plan.
Members of Exit International for many years the couple who were in their 80s wanted to go together. Just as they said they had had the ‘perfect life’ together, so they wanted their death to be likewise. To this end, they spent several years travelling around Australia in their caravan. After joining Exit in 2011, they attended Exit workshops as well as smaller chapter meet- ings. They said they were always open and honest in their dis- cussions and appreciated being part of a community of ‘like- minded people’. They said the reason they had planned to die in Peru was to save ‘all the hassles of the Australian Customs and visits to our family home by the Australian Police’.
And so it was that in June 2017, Athol and Beverley were found by Peruvian Police ‘sleeping’ peacefully, lying wrapped in each other’s arms in a suite at the Hilton El Pardo Hotel in Lima. While the couple had initially planned to die in Cuzco, they had both been affected by the altitude. After purchasing their Nembutal in Cuzco they returned to sea level in Lima. Their after-Nembutal drinks consisted of Drambuie (for Athol) and a small glass of Sauterne for Beverley. It seems they had read this book well, where it is recommended that a strong alcoholic drink is taken after drinking Nembutal. The alcohol will not only take away the bitter after-taste of the drug but it will make the Nembutal work faster.