Imagine spending the last days of your life with an incurable disease. It’s not a matter of whether it will snatch your life, but when. You only have a few months to live. Linda’s Last Trip documents such a story. The film is about 63-year-old Linda Ann Patchett, diagnosed with an incurable cancer. Adam films Linda as she courageously lives through her last months and comes to terms with her terminal condition. Family support stands out. She spends her last days playing and talking to her grandsons.
The documentary also follows her through her psilocybin mushroom treatment. The treatment is for treating distress for patients nearing their death. Palliative patients can legally access the treatment in Canada. The first scene in which Linda introduces herself is heartbreaking. It sets the tone and the audience’s emotions for the rest of the film. A tear runs from her eye as she lies on that bed, and she starts reflecting on her life.
She struggles with weight gain and fatigue, which affects her life, including her love for kayaking. With two years to live, she watches as months slip by. Linda spends time with her grandkids in the woods, showing them a young oak tree. It starts to hit her that she will not be with them at some point in their lives. She also reconnects with her friend Dianne and talks about gardening. Dianne reveals that her lymphoma is back.
The documentary also shows us Linda's creative side as a poet. She also goes kayaking in a nearby lake. With about 12 months left to live, she tries to do the most important things. One includes creating a connection with horses. In her home, the Three Suns, her son Dr. Ryan visits. He delivers an exciting package – magic mushrooms. Yet, one of Linda’s heart-wrenching stories was the death of Wayne, her partner. Wayne died of alcoholism.
Linda’s Last Trip is intimate and takes the audience through the life of someone with a terminal illness. You learn about her therapy and treatment, including one recommended by her son. The treatment helps her live a possible happy life even though she knows her end is near. It allows Linda to overcome the fear of leaving her loved ones, kayaking, and friends behind. Linda’s Last Trip is a heartfelt, remarkable, and profoundly moving film.
What kind of film series would this documentary fit in?
This film would fit in a film series about the legal use of psilocybin mushrooms for patients.
What can this educational documentary be used as a resource for?
It can be used as a resource to teach about preparing cancer patients for a fateful end.
How would audiences react to this screening?
They will acknowledge how sensitively and intensely the film has been created.