V 9 N. 36 Marieke Vervoort Para Olympian Sprinter R.I.P.

October 23, 2019

I began the day carrying out a number of internet errands and reading several journals when I noticed on the pages of England's   The Guardian, that a 2016 Olympic medallist had died via euthanasia.  I wondered how someone that recently competing, that young could be a candidate for ending her life this way?  Also you may be asking why I chose to get off the normal policy of doing stories about track athletes.  Marieke's sport eminates from a wheelchair.  She can't run, but then if we watch a major marathon these days we will surely remember that the wheelchair category is very competitive and well covered by the tv networks.  That combination of  youth (40 years), her sportiveness and the voluntary process of medically assisted dieing were impossible to ignore or not convey to everyone.

  Marieke is a native of Belgium.  She won gold and silver in London in the 100 meters and 200 meters.  Then in Rio she won the silver in the 400 and bronze in the 100.  In 2015 she was a triple gold medal winner in the World Championships.    I in no way think that running a 400 or using a wheelchair to cover that  distance is apples to oranges.  I can imagine the lactic fire in one's back, shoulders, abdomen,  biceps, forearms, wrists and hands as easily comparable to running with your feet and legs.

So what terrible illness led her to this day?  She suffered from a rare muscle  illness that is degenerative. It has also led to partial blindness.  She had only about 20% of normal vision.  In 2014 she also began having epileptic seizures, and was almost constantly in terrible pain.  She was sleep deprived because of her pain.  Even her caregivers were finding it very difficult to help someone in this condition.


In Belgium euthanasia is legal, but it is not easy to gain that right to end one's life legally.  She acquired that legal right in 2008 when she knew what lay in store for her.  This was four years before she won her first Olympic medal.  She stated several years ago that had she not  had the right to decide when to end her life, that she would have been forced to commit suicide many years ago.  Her future was so bleak.  But instead she chose to endure and continue to compete at this incredibly high level.  Were I in her position, I would hope that I would have that same right to decide my fate and the courage to continue as long as I could.  I cannot think of a braver person.  We cannot perhaps decide for others, but we should certainly be able to decide for ourselves.  Most of our readers are of an age when these considerations may soon be part of our lives.  I wish you all the freedom of choice.