HEALTH – An autistic woman has died at home by assisted suicide, with her parents and best friend by her side, after sharing a harrowing final message to her online followers.
Lauren Hoeve, from the Netherlands, was diagnosed with ME, which is also referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome, in 2019.
Over the past five years, the YouTube book blogger battled extreme exhaustion which left her bed-bound.
She also began to experience post-exertional malaise (PEM), where she would struggle with extreme nausea, pain and fatigue – which she described as ‘absolute torture’ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 2022, Lauren – who was also diagnosed with ADHD – began documenting her journey to euthanasia. Assisted death has been legal in the Netherlands for the past 22 years.
On her blog ‘Brain Fog’, Lauren explained how her GP told her he respected her wish to be euthanised but could not do it himself because of her psychological conditions.
After this, Lauren was put on a waiting list for an appointment with an euthanasia specialist, which took longer than usual due to the pandemic.
In April 2023, she met with several doctors who concluded she was ‘mentally competent’ of making the decision to be euthanised.
Earlier this month, Lauren told her 7,800 X followers: ‘My last day will be on Saturday, January 27th. The euthanasia will happen between 1:30 and 2:30pm.’
She wrote on her blog: ‘I chose to make the date and time public because you have all been so excited for this moment with me. I know from experience how supportive it can be to know when it is happening, so that you can reflect on it for a moment or light a candle if you wish.’
READ ALSO: Man ‘beheads his federal employee father’ and POSTS video of decapitated head on YouTube
On 27 January, Lauren – who passed away at home – signed off her X account by sharing a meme with her followers.
She wrote: ‘This will be my last tweet. Thanks for the love, everyone. I’m going to rest a bit more and be with my loved ones. Enjoy a last morbid meme from me.’
She then posted a meme featuring a toddler wearing a sunglasses and giving a thumbs up to the camera as a doctor smiles beside them, with the caption: ‘Me getting euthanized’.
Lauren’s post has been seen by more than 1.5m X users and struck a chord with followers. One replied: ‘Thank you for sharing your journey to this farewell. And for you the beginning of peace that you long for.’
