Margriet Hermans, the revered television and music personality, chose to die by assisted suicide. She was 72 years old.
Hermans, known for the talk show. daisy and her subsequent political career, she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine carcinoma at the end of April. The star opted to undergo the assisted dying process in Belgium, also known as euthanasia.
According to the World Federation of Right to Die SocietiesThe euthanasia process in Belgium “is available to adults and ’emancipated minors’ with a serious and incurable condition that causes unbearable suffering.”
Hermans’ daughter, singer Celien Hermans, broke the news of her mother’s death via Instagram and at the same time explained the legend’s final days.
“With deep sadness, but also with indescribable gratitude, dad (Frank) and I say goodbye to my dear mom, Margriet Hermans,” Celien wrote. “To Flanders, she was a singer, a television personality, a politician, a woman with a distinctive voice and a big heart. To me, she was, above all, my home. My safe haven. My greatest critic and supporter. My best friend and most honest sounding board. My business partner and colleague. My everything.”
“We were similar in every way. Two stubborn women with a big heart, a love of music, humor as a survival mechanism and an indomitable drive to live life to the fullest. What I am today, I am because of her. Not just in talent or character, but in enthusiasm for life. In gentleness. In strength.”
Celien then went on to explain the beloved cultural figure’s final days. Once she began to feel symptoms of neuroendocrine carcinoma, Hermans became “extremely weak” with “excruciating pain,” leading her to make the decision to end her life.
“Mom lived life with an intensity rarely seen. She enjoyed things openly and exuberantly. She felt deeply. She brought happiness to others. She gave everything she had: to her audience, to her friends, but most of all, to the people she loved,” Celien recalled. “But unfortunately, the cancer manifested itself with an intensity rarely seen. We received the cancer diagnosis in late April. In mid-May, it was identified as a neuroendocrine carcinoma with limited treatment options. A few days later, I took her to the hospital, where they started chemotherapy ahead of schedule.
“Unfortunately, Mom was already extremely weak by then. Her energy diminished rapidly and the smile that usually graced her face faded very quickly. Faced with excruciating pain, terrible discomfort, and a very limited prospect of a quality life, Mom made the difficult and brave decision to take control of her life, or rather, the end of it.”
The family then “lived together very consciously” in the matriarch’s final days.
“We cried, we laughed, we remembered and we held hands, holding on until the moment we had to let go,” Herman’s daughter recalled. “And even when she said goodbye, she remained a mother: concerned about everyone around her, grateful, loving and strong.”
You can read the rest of Celien’s tribute to his mother below:
I am infinitely proud to have been his daughter. On behalf of our entire family, I would like to thank everyone for the immense love, warmth and support we have received during this time. The messages, flowers, words and memories have touched us deeply.
“No mountain is high enough, no sea is deep enough. Nothing stops me. I can fly without wings, rising above everything.”
Go ahead and fly now, mom. Thanks for everything.
“I am by your side, taking care of you too.”
celien
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