'Enjoy a last morbid meme from me'.
An extremely brave young woman who died by euthanasia at home shared a heartbreaking final message to social media.
Lauren Hoeve, who went by the name of Dutch Lauren on X, was diagnosed with ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, back in 2019.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a long-term condition that can cause a wide range of symptoms including extreme tiredness.
Other symptoms include joint pain, sleep issues, and problems with thinking and memory retention.
Over the last five years, the former book
blogger battled extreme exhaustion and was left bed bound.
Not only this, but Lauren also began to experience post-exertional malaise, with which she struggled with extreme
nausea, pain, and fatigue.
After three years of living in what Lauren herself described as "absolute torture" she began her journey to euthanasia in 2022, a practice which has been legal in the Netherlands for 22 years.
https://twitter.com/dutchlauren/status/1748527990772777036
Taking to her blog, Brain Fog, Lauren explained that her GP respected her wish to be euthanised but could not do it himself.
She was then put on a waiting list for an appointment with a euthanasia specialist, which took longer to do due to the pandemic.
In April 2023, Lauren met with a number of doctors who after examining Lauren came to the conclusion that she was mentally competent of making the decision to be euthanised.
Earlier this month Lauren wrote on X: "My last day will be on Saturday, January 27th. The euthanasia will happen between 1:30 and 2:30pm.
"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."
https://twitter.com/dutchlauren/status/1751186700313788636
On January 27, Lauren signed off from her X with a final message and a meme.
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 accompanied the post with a meme showing 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 directed her social media followers to organisations who they could support in their research to find a cure for ME/CFS, including in the below tweet:
