Those were reportedly the words of 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann, a Christian grandmother in Ontario, Canada, who repeatedly resisted medically assisted dying before her death in July. Now, her granddaughter is demanding answers, alleging that Stegemann was forced to undergo medical assistance in dying (MAiD) despite repeatedly declaring that she was refusing that option. The Daily Mail reported details surrounding the circumstances of the death of Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian woman who lived in Canifton.
Brigitte Kranendonk, Stegemann’s granddaughter who shares the same name as her late grandmother, discussed how Stegemann had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in February and had seen her overall health decline. Kranendonk insisted to the publication that her grandmother had previously asserted “I don’t want that” when she brought up the option of medically assisted dying.
The Daily Mail noted that Kranendonk attributed her grandmother’s opposition to MAiD to her “religiosity” and the “notion of displeasing God.” After doctors fitted her with a medical port ahead of the possibility of MAiD, Stegemann reportedly tore it out while screaming, "I don't want the death shot!" Yet, on July 3, the assisted living facility where Stegemann lived called Kranendonk to inform her that they were planning to conduct a MAiD assessment for her grandmother.
This prompted Kranendonk to reach out to a nurse, who raised the topic with the grieving granddaughter, describing her response as “very abrasive, very defensive.” “I truly believe that one nurse really saw us as an obstacle,” Kranendonk said. “We were getting in the way of her doing MAiD on my grandmother. I think she really, truly believes that MAiD is the best for people, and shame on me for trying to stop that.”