Paralympics legend’s ‘last wish’ to compete in one final Games before ending life

Marieke Vervoort was a Belgian Paralympic athlete who won multiple medals before she chose to end her life. Her battle with devastating chronic pain was at the heart of her decision to choose euthanasia

A multi-medal winning Paralympic athlete, whose devastating condition only deteriorated with time, described the Rio Olympics as her “last wish” before giving a heartbreaking explanation for choosing euthanasia.

Marieke Vervoort was 33 when she claimed her first Paralympic medal, taking silver in the 200m at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The Belgian Paralympic star suffered from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a condition characterised by severe, chronic and persistent pain in the limbs.

Throughout her career, she amassed an impressive collection of medals.

Then, in 2016, she revealed she was contemplating euthanasia. She told the BBC: “My mind says yes, go further, you still can do it. But my body cries, says help, stop training, you break me.”, reports the Express.

She was forced to step away from triathlons as her condition deteriorated, having previously claimed the paratriathlon championship in both 2006 and 2007. Vervoort subsequently moved into blokarting and wheelchair racing. In 2013, she set a new European record of 33.65 in the T52 200m race at Oordegem, Belgium.

That same year, a shoulder injury forced her to take a period of rest. She made her comeback in 2014, but suffered another cruel blow. Also battling epilepsy, she lost consciousness while cooking and poured boiling water over herself, resulting in second and third-degree burns from her chest down to her ankles.

Making another return, she claimed gold at the IPC Athletics World Championships, cementing her status as world champion. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games, she secured the silver medal in the T51/52 400m wheelchair race and bronze in the T51/52 100m.

It was during this period that Vervoort disclosed she was contemplating euthanasia. Prior to the Rio Paralympics, she described the competition as her “last wish”.

She clarified that euthanasia would not take place immediately following the Games. Vervoort explained: “You have to live day-by-day and enjoy the little moments. When the day comes – when I have more bad days than good days – I have my euthanasia papers. But the time is not there yet.”

She had signed her euthanasia papers back in 2008.

Vervoort had endured decades of debilitating symptoms since the age of 14, which brought severe pain, paralysis in her legs, and made sleep extremely difficult.

The 40-year-old died away by euthanasia on 22 October 2019, with her decision receiving support from fellow Paralympians, including Briton Ollie Hynd.

Hynd said: “The news of Marieke’s death really hit close to home. It’s difficult to get your head around. I feel an enormous amount of empathy.

“Pushing yourself to the limit when you’ve got a neurological condition is so difficult. There are some days that I wake up in so much pain.”