A physically healthy Dutch woman suffering from crippling depression made plans to end her life by euthanasia on her 34th birthday.
Jolanda Fun, who prepared for his funeral in advance, said she hoped to be the last person in the Netherlands to have a physician-assisted death.
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Jolanda has been battling crippling depression since the age of seven and described her life as one of constant pain.
She was medically diagnosed at age 22 and tried to seek help in dozens of therapy sessions.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Jolanda revealed that she had long struggled with depression, autism and mild learning difficulties and wanted to “get out of life”.
The Dutch woman was expected to die on Thursday, but it is not yet known if she took her own life.
Jolanda has said that she puts on a mask in all her social situations to hide her inner feelings, which she has described as “dark, overstimulation, chaos in my head, loneliness”.
She said in her interview: “Most of the time I feel really shitty, sad, sad, sad.
“People don’t see it, because that’s the mask I put on and that’s what you learn to do in life.”
“My father is sick, my mother is sick, my parents are fighting to stay alive and I want to get out of life,” he added.
Jolanda chose euthanasia as her preferred course two years ago after a medical adviser said Dutch law allowed it for psychiatric reasons.
She made a post on Facebook where she wrote that she was looking for medical experts who could help her with the process.
And during her interview with the publisher, Jolanda revealed that her euthanasia was scheduled for April 25, her 34th birthday.
He described euthanasia as a “painless and dignified death” and added that one can end life peacefully with loved ones around.
What is euthanasia?
EUTHANASIA is the practice of intentionally ending a person’s life to alleviate their pain and suffering.
The term comes from an ancient Greek phrase meaning “good death”.
Euthanasia is deliberately helping or encouraging someone to take their own life, for example by providing them with medication to do so.
Euthanasia is a crime under English law, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and assisted suicide of 14 years.
The only exception is “passive euthanasia,” which is when treatment that could prolong someone’s life is withdrawn, such as turning off a life machine.
For terminally ill patients in the UK, the only alternatives are hospital care or refusing treatment, which mentally competent patients have the right to do.
As a result, some terminally ill people choose to travel abroad to die.
Euthanasia and death is a controversial topic, with passionate activists on each side of the argument.
People who agree with euthanasia often argue that people should be allowed to die with dignity, and should be able to decide when and how they die, potentially sparing their loved ones the pain of seeing them suffer .
Some also believe that death is private, and it is not the state’s place to interfere if a person wants to die.
Euthanasia supporters also point out that we euthanize our pets as an act of kindness, and resources could be put toward people who want to live or whose conditions are curable.
However, there are concerns that allowing euthanasia would give doctors too much power, and could even worsen care for the terminally ill and research into their illnesses.
Some also believe it goes against the job description of doctors and nurses and the oath they take to do no harm to patients; they also say it undermines the value of human life.
Others also worry about the possibility that someone might recover or change their mind when it’s too late.
Some have even suggested that the change could make people feel pressured to ask for death, as they don’t want to be a burden to those around them.
Euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002, but remains illegal in the UK.
Under Dutch law, a patient qualifies for assisted dying after exhausting all reasonable treatments and can demonstrate that they have “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement”.
More people are turning to euthanasia as a legal way to end their suffering as they struggle with depression or anxiety.
In 2017, of the 6,585 euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands, 84 were due to psychiatric suffering.
But the approval process for psychiatric requests can take years, and only about 10 percent of requests are granted.
A few weeks ago another Dutch woman, Zoraya ter Beek, revealed that she wants to end her life by euthanasia after suffering from severe depression.
She is scheduled for the process in May after being told her condition is “never going to get better.”
Zoraya once aspired to become a psychiatrist, but was unable to complete her studies because she was struggling with depression and autism.
For ten long years, she tried every possible solution from therapy to medication to improve her condition.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in all corners of society: from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It is the biggest killer of people under 35, deadlier than cancer and car accidents.
Yet it’s rarely talked about, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly disorder unless we all stop and take notice now.
That’s why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
We all promise to ask for help when we need it, and to listen to others… You are not alone.
If you, or someone you know, needs help to cope with mental health problems, the following organizations offer support:
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