We are going to have to make many difficult decisions in our lives but one thing that many of us will not have to decide is the day of our own death. It can be a difficult situation if we do have to make that choice, and nobody knows this better than Zoraya ter Beek.
At 28 years old, the Dutch woman lives in a small village near the German border and she has made a decision to end her life. She is doing so legally, as euthanasia is legal in that land.
She does have an attachment to her cats as well as her 40-year-old boyfriend, but the euthanasia, which is scheduled for May, is what she has decided because of her constant mental health struggles.
At one point, she had wanted to be a psychiatrist but she had many challenges. She just decided that it was clear that she couldn’t do it any longer.
In the West, there are many people who are now opting to end their lives rather than struggle with constant mental health issues. Previously, euthanasia was predominantly for those who struggled with a terminal illness.
She said: “I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the healthcare professional seems to give up on them more easily than before.”
The euthanasia process she will be going through is monitored by a physician. She will be sedated and then the drug is given to stop her heart from beating. Her boyfriend will be there as she goes through it.
She has discussed her upcoming decision and said that she is apprehensive because she is afraid of dying because it is the ‘ultimate unknown.’
