A 20-year-old boy named Eric Coulam, was diagnosed with liver and kidney disease, as well as a “mystery” gastrointestinal illness. Faced with the need for six transplants and all the struggle he had to face over the past decade, seeing his health fail, he chose to plan his assisted death.

All information comes from the log New York Post. To tell his family and friends about his difficult decision, Eric hosted a barbecue as a farewell. According to the young Canadian, his assisted death means “the end of suffering”.

To explain his decision to his family and friends, Coulam had a “farewell barbecue” and said it would be “the end of the suffering”. He also told CJDC-TV that he is in pain all day and has been confined to a room for a long time.

“Sometimes I lie in my bed at night and I’m sad. Most of the time I’m hoping for a better day because I’m in a lot of pain all the time. I take a lot of medication just to be comfortable for a few hours,” he said.

Coulam, just 20 years old, has spent half his life dealing with pain, infections, coma and even the loss of his small intestine. To survive now, he would have to have six organs transplanted, and even then he would have half the chance of being cured.

Although the decision to plan his assisted death has already been made, Eric still does not know when he will end his life. “I can go when I’m ready. Not when I’m really sick or when they take my meds or anything like that. It’s when I’m ready,” the youngster said.

It should be mentioned that medical assistance in dying will only be possible because of a law that has existed in Canada since 2016 and which allows eligible Canadians over the age of 18 to have medical assistance in dying. The law states that the patient must have a “serious and incurable disease or disability” and also experience physical or psychological pain not controlled by medication.

Since Eric’s “farewell barbecue”, his friends have been raising funds to help the young man fulfill certain wishes before his death. They are expected to be able to raise around R$134,000 through virtual crowdfunding.