Woman with incurable disease becomes Peru's first person to die by euthanasia

23 April 2024 , 16:30

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Ana Estrada died on Sunday and became the first person in Peru to die through assisted suicide (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A woman suffering from an incurable disease which left her unable to leave her bed for several years has become the first person to die by euthanasia in Peru.

Ana Estrada, 47, suffered from polymyositis which wastes away muscles after beginning to present symptoms as a teenager. She started using a wheelchair at the age of 20 because she had lost the strength to walk.

By 2017, her condition worsened and she could no longer get up from her bed, had difficulty breathing and survived pneumonia. Since then she has fought with the court system in Peru for the right to die “with dignity”.

Her lawyer has now confirmed she died by euthanasia on Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance. Estrada, a psychologist, said in previous interviews: “I am no longer free, I am not the same person I was before.”

A nurse with Ana Estrada in her bedroom (AP)

Her lawyer, Josefina Miro Quesada, said in a statement: “Ana's struggle for her right to die with dignity has helped to educate thousands of Peruvians about this right and the importance of defending it. Her struggle transcended our nation's borders."

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Estrada told judges in 2022: “I want to accede to euthanasia when I can no longer sustain suffering in life. And when I decide to bid farewell to my loved ones in peace and with tranquillity."

Only a few countries legalised euthanasia, including Canada, Belgium and Spain. It is legal in a few US states, including Oregon and Maine.

Last month a British horse rider penned a letter ahead of her apparent assisted suicide following her career-ending injury. Caroline March, 31, shared the letter publicly before her death. She wrote: “Assisted suicide is always something I believed in". since a serious fall during a cross-country event at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market in Norfolk.

In the letter, posted on her public page, Caroline, from Essex, shared how she thrived on "adrenaline hits" and "spontaneity", which was no longer possible with her injury. She described herself as "independent" and "strong-minded" and said she "hates asking for help".

The Mirror shared the letter in full, amid a campaign led by . More than 5,500 Mirror readers have backed the calls for statutory change.

Antony Clements-Thrower