A YOUNG man who is in constant pain with a mystery illness plans to die by assisted suicide – now that he’s hosted his last “goodbye” barbecue.
Eric Coulam, from Fort St John, Canada, has made the heartbreaking decision to end his life so that he can finally escape years of torturous chronic pain.
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The 20-year-old hosted an emotional farewell barbecue attended by 600 of his family and friends.
He has been suffering from intense pain after a tummy ache escalated years ago and ruptured his stomach.
Since then he’s been in and out of various hospitals for pancreatitis, liver and kidney disease and has lost his small bowel.
Now Eric has made the decision to end his life with medical assistance – which was made legal six years ago in Canada for over 18s with a “serious and incurable illness, disease or disability”.
The youngster said it is not a decision he has taken lightly but looks forward to finally putting an end to his pain.
He has not chosen an official date or place to end his life, saying that he wants to do certain things and see specific people before he goes.
The Mirror reported that he said last month: “I can go when I’m ready, it’s not when I’m sick, it’s not when they pull my meds or anything, it’s when I’m ready.
“I thought about it for a while, I kind of ghosted my family because I wasn’t in a good place. I knew it was what I wanted to do. It was hard to tell everyone else.”
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He also told Energetic City: “I sometimes lay there at night and get sad sometimes, but for the most part, I’m waiting for the day because I’m in lots of pain all the time.
“I’m on many meds just to be comfortable for a few hours.”
A close friend of Eric’s posted on a Facebook group dedicated to the youth called Eric’s Army.
He copied and pasted a message Eric had sent to him that read: “I just want to acknowledge your strength and positive attitude towards life man.
“I have had enough, but you keep f****** going man. We got lots of supporters.
“I think about u lots and think how TF your still going.
“I’ll be up above rootin for you man! I will pass all my love and support your way.”
Every comments on this friend’s post was supportive of Eric’s decision and praised his bravery.
One read: “Hugs and prayers. So very sad in this day and age no one could help this young man.”
While another said: “Love you Eric Coulam you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.”
One well-wisher wroter: “Eric you are a courageous young man I can only imagine the pain you are going through on a day to day basis.
“I hope you will find peace and pain free, sending my love and blessings to you.”
Another comment referenced the fact that Eric’s mum sadly passed away in 2013.
They said: “Well respect to you all Eric, I bet it was hard to tell your family and friends and great to see all the love and support your have.
“Enjoy your day and will be thinking of you family and friends on your passing. Enjoy meeting up with your mom.”
Yet Eric’s grandma struggled the most to accept his tough decision, especially after losing her daughter.
“I lost his mom,” she told the Vancouver Sun through tears. “And now I’ll be losing him.”
“We had such a bond. We really enjoyed each other’s company.”
She thought of all the times he has ended up in hospital due to his horrific illness.
“It is very hard for the two of us to keep saying goodbye to each other,” she said.
AT PEACE
Eric’s story isn’t the first tragic instance of assisted suicide to make headlines.
Three years ago, a 17-year-old girl was allowed to end her own life at home after she was raped as a young child.
Noa Pothoven died on Sunday in an “end-of-life clinic” bed in her living room in the Netherlands after she refused food following a battle with mental health problems.
The teenager from Arnhem decided to end her own life after sexual assaults and rapes as a small girl led her to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anorexia.
She was attacked three times as a youngster.
Unlike Noa’s mental suffering, Marieke Vervoot chose medically assisted dying after years of pain like Eric.
In 2019, the paralympian ended her life through euthanasia at the age of 40 after battling a degenerative muscle disease.
The Belgian wheelchair sprinter, who won gold at the London 2012 games, suffered from degenerative tetraplegia which caused constant pain, seizures and paralysis in her legs.
Belgium, in fact, broke records with the two youngest ever people to be euthanised.
The children, aged nine and 11, were given lethal injections in the European country which permits children with terminal illnesses who are in “unbearable suffering” to choose to die.
The cases, which happened in 2016 and 2017, were revealed in a report by the CFCEE – the commission that regulates euthanasia in Belgium, and their ages were confirmed by a Belgian official.
It said that doctors in Belgium had given lethal injections to three children over the two-year period, including the nine-year-old who suffered from a brain tumour, while the 11-year-old had cystic fibrosis.
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Source: Sun
