Paralympian says signing euthanasia papers is the reason she is still living

Marieke Vervoort hopes 'England and every country' will look at euthanasia in another way

Belgian athlete Marieke Vervoort (Getty Images)

A Paralympian who won silver and bronze medals at the Rio Games claims signing euthanasia papers prevented her from taking her own life.

Marieke Vervoort, a Belgian wheelchair sprinter, won the 100m gold at London 2012 before adding to her medal haul in Brazil. Her success led to celebrity status in her hometown of Diest, earning her the nickname: 'The Beast from Diest’.

But while she is remembered for her Olympic triumphs, the 37-year-old also suffers from chronic pain caused by a debilitating, incurable spinal condition she has lived with for almost half of her life. Diagnosed when she was 21, the symptoms come on without warning, causing paralysis in her legs. The severity of the pain can cause her to lose consciousness, meaning Vervoort needs round-the-clock care. She also experiences epileptic fits.

Vervoort told the BBC that the Rio Games would be her last Paralympic competition, a bittersweet goodbye to the Games.

"I can't imagine a better way to end your career," she said. "But also there's a side of sadness, to say goodbye to the sports that I love."

As her condition deteriorates, greatly diminishing her independence, a nurse visits her four times a day to help her wash and dress and she can no longer drive a car.

Aware her condition was likely to worsen, Vervoort signed euthanasia papers in 2008. The practice is legal in Belgium with the written consent of two doctors. The patient requesting euthanasia must have an incurable condition and be deemed capable of making the rational decision to end their life.

Vervoort has not decided when she will end her life. But she said the knowledge she can gives her a sense of control.

“If I didn't have those papers, I wouldn't have been able to go into the Paralympics," she said. "I was a very depressed person - I was thinking about how I was going to kill myself. In England, I hope, and every country, they will look at euthanasia in another way - it's not murder. I'm the best example. It's thanks to those papers that I'm still living.

“With euthanasia, you are sure that you will have a soft, beautiful death, and that you can do it with the people you want who stay with you. It gives [me] a feeling of peace and rest on my body that I can choose myself how far I will go.”