Lesbian Paralympian Considering Euthanasia After Rio Games

"Rio is my last wish."

From: NewNowNext

 Out Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort says the Rio games will be her last as the degenerative spinal disease that has left her wheelchair-bound since 2000 continues to worsen.


 The 37-year-old wheelchair sprinter, who won a gold and silver in London, opened up about the pain of her incurable disease and her desire to end her life to RTL radio.

“I will stop my career after [the] Rio [Paralympics],” she said. “After, we shall see what life brings for me. I’ve started thinking about euthanasia—Rio is my last wish.”

“Everybody sees me laugh with my gold medal,” she told French newspaper Le Parisien, “but no one sees the dark side.”

“I suffer greatly,” she continued, “sometimes sleeping only ten minutes a night—still, I go for the gold.”


 In July, Vervoort revealed the dark side of her disease in an online blog post.

“Fortunately I had a better night even though I had a moment of crisis for about 45 minutes,” she wrote.

“With me this morning, it felt like I had slept only an hour, but that was not the case. My body is just exhausted. I let the nurse give me a shot of morphine and this morning went purely on character to the training.”

The athlete also shared plans for her funeral, which she hopes will be a joyful celebration of her life and achievements.

“My funeral, it’s not going to be in a church,” she remarked.

“It’s not going to be with some coffee and some cake. But I want everybody to have a glass of champagne and to say, ‘Cheers, Marieke. All the best. You had a good life. Now you are in a better place.’”

Euthanasia has been legal in Belgium since 2002 and can take place with the written consent of three doctors.