Dutch citizen Jolanda Fun revealed her plans to die by a doctor-assisted death due to the ‘constant pain’ caused by her mental health struggles – despite the love of her partner, family and friends
The boyfriend of a woman who said she would be ending her life by euthanasia on her 34th birthday has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her.
Jolanda Fun revealed her plans to die by a doctor-assisted death due to the “constant pain” caused by her mental health struggles, despite the love of her partner, family and friends. Her boyfriend, Peter Silvius, said he wished her “no more pain” and will “always’ love her in a tribute posted on Facebook.
On April 25, the day she planned her death for, he wrote: “Sweet Jolanda. This is your day, the day of your birthday and the day your wish comes true, a day with two sides. Will miss you a lot as you start your final journey to a place where you will find your peace and have no more pain. Love you, you always in my heart have a good last journey and see you later xx”
The 34-year-old replied ‘Thnkx darling’, and has not posted since, as it remains unclear whether she went ahead with her planned death. Speaking to The Sunday Times earlier this month, Jolanda revealed she was in a relationship with a 51-year-old man who “knew from the beginning that this would be coming.” She continued: “But he really wants to have a good time together, and he still wants to”, adding the situation was “confusing”.
Jolanda had prepared for her death by printing funeral invites which read: “Born from love, let go in love… After a hard-fought life, she chose the peace she so longed for.” She said first discovered assisted dying from a psychiatrist two years ago, and made it her goal knowing Dutch law allows euthanasia for psychiatric reasons.
She also faced mental health issues from the age of seven, struggling with depression, an eating disorder, autism and mild learning difficulties. In an interview earlier this month, Jolanda said she hides what she feels inside, describing it as “dark, overstimulation, chaos in my head, loneliness”, adding her decision to “step out of life” was also influenced by her mother and father “fighting to stay alive” due to their illnesses. She described euthanasia as a “dignified death” which allows a person’s loved ones to be there, adding “the rules are very strict. You don’t just get euthanasia, there’s a whole journey.”
The Netherlands’ top Euthanasia clinic, the Expertisecentrum Euthanasie, is said to have denied Jolanda’s case – but she found a psychiatrist who would carry it out. Her case met the threshold of assisted dying to go ahead under Dutch law, after receiving the approval of a third specialist doctor.
The Netherlands is one of only three countries in the EU where assisted dying is legal, with the vast majority of cases granted to people over sixty with terminal medical conditions. Data from 2022 revealed that 8,720 people in the Netherlands ended their lives by euthanasia, a 14% increase from 2021. In 2023, the figure rose to 9,068.
