Suffering from serious symptoms linked to the progression of Lyme disease, Stéphanie Lavoie, a young Quebecer, resorted to medical assistance in dying.
- Lyme disease is a disease transmitted by ticks.
- Stéphanie Lavoie, a 30-year-old Quebecer, received medical assistance in dying after eight years of fighting Lyme disease.
- Affected by a severe form of the pathology, the young woman had significant difficulty eating and could no longer tolerate contact with daylight.
In Quebec, Stéphanie Lavoie, originally from Drummondville, benefited from medical assistance in dying after eight years of fighting Lyme disease. In the absence of antibiotic treatment, this condition can develop into a secondary form responsible for different symptoms (localized pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, etc.). “The so-called “tertiary” form, later, causes a wide variety of symptoms which can suggest other diseases (multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, depression, for example)”complete the Pasteur Institute. Also called Lyme borreliosis, this pathology is transmitted by ticks.
Lyme disease: “I am at peace with giving up”
According to the information from the Journal de Montréal, the 30-year-old young woman had not been able to eat properly for several months, and weighed barely 59 pounds, or approximately 26 kilograms. In a posthumous message, broadcast by TVA Nouvelles media the day after her death, Stéphanie Lavoie revealed that she had not been able to join the ministerial intravenous feeding program at home. “I was told that I did not have a diagnosis that corresponds to the category allowing me to join this program. Is it ethical to let someone die because they do not fit into one of the famous boxes that we identified?”she said.
Affected by an extremely severe form of the disease, the Quebecer suffered significant pain and spent her days in her room away from the light. “After eight years of battle, of being strong with fantastic people around me, I am at peace with putting down my weapons”said Stéphanie Lavoie in her farewell message.
The failure of treatments for Lyme disease
Touched by her story, many residents of Quebec helped her finance a trip to Mexico to receive treatment in a clinic specializing in Lyme disease. Unfortunately, this therapy did not work. The young woman therefore wanted to thank the Quebec population one last time. “I infinitely thank each of the Quebecers who believed in me, who supported me and who allowed me to dream, to have hope longer, to have continued my battles and to really have the feeling of having tried everything.”
