57-year-old woman's heart-wrenching final message before euthanasia is moving people to tears

People on their deathbed often talk about how beautiful their life has been in their final message. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Edina Slayter-Engelman. The 57-year-old who had been living in Scotland for more than 30 years decided to return to the Netherlands last month to end her "unbearable suffering." When the doctors who assessed her told her that nothing more could be done about her condition, she opted for euthanasia, which is legal in the Netherlands, reports BBC.

She suffered from Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The condition's cause or cure is unknown, with treatments available only for specific symptoms. The condition is said to have affected about 250,000 people in the UK, with the symptoms varying from mild to severe and Slayter-Engelman had the latter. She had severe symptoms and was unable to leave her bed to shower or even use the washroom. The 57-year-old was diagnosed with this condition in February 2020 and within a few weeks, she was bedbound. 

In 2023, she returned to the Netherlands to start psychological and psychiatric assessment and also an assessment by Amsterdam's Institute of Chronic Fatigue. The doctors informed her that there were no treatment options left for her. This was when she decided to go for euthanasia to end her suffering. In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal for citizens under strict control. Slayter-Engelman was surrounded by her husband, two sons and close family just before her death. The doctors administered a lethal injection and she passed away.

Before her death, Slayter-Engelman's family approached BBC Scotland News to share her experience of suffering with ME. They wanted to raise awareness about the lack of research and support for people suffering from ME in Scotland. In her final message, she described suffering from ME as being stuck inside a spider's web. "Every time you try to get out, the web just gets tighter and tighter around you," she said.

She went on to say that this disease had taken everything from her. "I feel trapped physically, cognitively and emotionally," she shared while lying on her bed. "I exist, but I don't live and this condition has become unbearable to me and has been for a long time now, to the point where I want to end my life." She also talked about how she felt "isolated" from the outside world and also from her family and friends. "I am very sensitive to sound, noise, any kind of stimulation, so I can't really have any kind of get-together," she expressed. "I have not been able to read books or watch telly - everything is too much."

Before she fell sick, Slyter-Engelman was a hillwalker, cyclist and swimmer. So, it is imaginable how daunting being isolated from the outside world would have been for her. However, the Dutch medics accepting that she was going through too much was "a great achievement." She said, "A recognition that there are no further treatment options available to me, there is no cure for CFS and that sense of recognition and relief, it means so much to me and my family." While talking about euthanasia, she expressed, "On the one hand, I am very sad about this, of course, but on the other hand, I feel a huge sigh of relief that I am allowed to die with dignity."