Scott is choosing to die through NSW’s voluntary assisted dying program on Friday. This is his message

Scott Hollingshed knows he is about to die.

Sitting at his Central Coast home, the 58-year-old is preparing to say his final goodbyes to his friends and partner before he receives the injections that will end his life on Friday.

Voluntary assisted dying was not a decision that came easy for Hollingshed, but stage four cancer is making each day more difficult than the last.

“I’m at the point where I’ve got something you just can’t fix,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.

Some days, the simple act of eating is more than he can muster the energy for.

He’s no stranger to death, having watched his father die in hospice care.

“But seeing him wither away ... I don’t want to see myself like that and I don’t want other people to see me like that, especially people who care about me,” Hollingshed said.

“I’ve been given the control to say, ‘Alright, it’s time’.”

In November, NSW became the last state in Australia to allow people to end their lives with help from a health practitioner.

Under the current legalisation, voluntary assisted dying is only available for NSW residents older than 18 who have an advanced illness or disease that will cause death in at least 12 months and is causing them suffering that cannot be relieved.

Patients must make the request voluntarily and have the capacity for decision-making.

In the program’s first three months, 517 people requested access to VAD — of those, 131 people died, according to the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Board’s first report in June.

“Knowing the substance is available to them gives these people the power of choice, and may provide a degree of relief and comfort in their final days and weeks,” board chairperson Jenni Millbank wrote in the report.

In May, Hollingshed had just bought a yacht with his partner and was enjoying life on the water when he suffered chest pains.

“I’ve had heart attacks before but I knew it wasn’t my heart,” he said.

Soon, Hollingshed was coughing up blood and unable to sleep on his side without spluttering.

By June, he had a diagnosis — lung cancer.

Doctors said he would not survive chemotherapy and other treatments only offered a sliver of hope.

He was given three to six months to live but his condition deteriorated faster than expected.

Eventually, even strong painkillers could no longer help his suffering.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t even put my socks on and my missus used to get down on her hands and knees and put my socks on,” Hollingshed said.

“I know people do things for people they love but that broke my heart seeing her do that.”

Fighting back tears, Hollingshed reflected on his love for his “incredible” partner, who he does not want to leave behind.

“I’m not scared of dying. It happens to everyone,” he said.

“My partner’s been through so much and now she’s going through this.

“It’s going to break her, that’s the only thing that scares me.”

The loss will hit hard for his friends, too, but they know Hollingshed is doing what is best for him.

Close friend Kellie Lott started a fundraiser to help Hollinghsed “pass with dignity”.

“He’s had a very hard go,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.

“He’s such a brave soul.

“His life has been cut short.”

A lasting legacy

Hollingshed has been livestreaming his cancer journey online, sharing raw and emotional updates about life since his diagnosis.

He hopes his story can help at least one person be brave and open up about their own journey, or better understand someone else’s.

“I’ve had messages where it’s helped a couple of people and if I could help just one, that makes it worth it,” he said.

“It keeps me going, not for much longer, but it keeps me going.

“If I’m dying, then why not make a positive better than a negative?”

This positive outlook is something he hopes rubs off on others, as he encourages people to look out for one another.

“There are good things in life, even when things get bad,” he said.

“Everyone takes so much for granted ... but it’s the little things ... like sitting under a tree and watching the birds or fishing.

“It’s a sensation and when you’re dead, you don’t get them.”