After 65 years of marriage, Nic and Trees Elderhorst had a deep desire: not to be separated at the end of their lives.
They were both 91 years old when, in 2017, in the Netherlands, they chose to resort together with euthanasia.
Behind them was practically a whole life spent side by side.
In recent years, however, both health conditions had worsened.
Nic suffered a stroke in 2012 which had seriously compromised his health and mobility. Trees had been diagnosed with a form of dementia and its conditions were getting worse.
According to the daughters, there was also a concrete concern: if Nic died first, Trees might need to move into a welfare facility.
The two didn't want to be separated.
But wishing to die together was not enough.
In the Netherlands euthanasia is regulated by law and can only be practiced when precise criteria are met. Among these are a voluntary and weighted request and the presence of suffering considered unbearable, without prospects for improvement.
Each person must also be individually evaluated: the fact of being a couple does not automatically allow access together with euthanasia.
In the case of Trees, the presence of dementia made it particularly important to verify that it was still able to understand and take the decision independently. According to the reconstructions of the time, a geriatrician established that retained the mental capacity needed to do so.
The route lasted about a year.
Cases such as this are particularly rare because both members of the couple must meet, each for their own situation, the requirements laid down by law.
Eventually, Nic and Trees died together, surrounded by their family members.
According to the story of the daughters, in the last moments they kissed.
Then they took hands.
Their history touches one of the most delicate ethical themes of contemporary medicine: the right to decide on their own end of life and the necessary guarantees in front of an irreversible choice.
For Nic and Trees, after 65 years spent together, there was also a deeply personal desire.
Don't be separated at the end.