This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort, a trailblazer in her sport, has passed away after choosing euthanasia due to a long-standing degenerative spinal condition.
Published on October 24, 2019, Vervoort, who won gold in the 100 meters wheelchair race at the 2012 London Paralympics, had been living with the condition since her teenage years.
She had signed euthanasia papers in 2008, a decision that gave her peace of mind and allowed her to live her life on her own terms.
‘This is my last Paralympic Games. I have a progressive disease and I signed my euthanasia papers already, in 2008, because it’s really, really hard to handle, and to suffer with this disease,’ Vervoort said in 2016.
She had also won silver medals in London and at Rio in 2016, and had been an advocate for dialogue on assisted dying in countries around the world.
The town of Diest in northern Belgium, where Vervoort was born, paid tribute to her remarkable sporting career and her courageous choice.
