‘I’ve lived my life, I don’t want pain anymore,’ said Jan Faber before his death.

A couple from the Netherlands chose to end their lives together through euthanasia.

Jan Faber, 70, and Els van Leeningen, 71, first met in kindergarten in Friesland and spent almost five decades in a loving marriage. Jan worked as a sports coach, while Els was a primary school teacher.

Jan endured chronic back pain for many years. Even after undergoing surgery in 2003, he experienced no relief and was unable to work. He frequently talked to his family about euthanasia, expressing his desire not to live with his physical limitations any longer.

In November 2022, Els was diagnosed with dementia. “This is very good,” she told BBC, pointing to her body. “But this is terrible,” she added, pointing to her head. With both their conditions worsening, Jan’s conversations about euthanasia became more serious, and they decided to pursue duo-euthanasia—to end their lives together.

The procedure has been legal in the Netherlands since the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act was passed in April 2001 and came into effect in April 2002. The Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia, which is performed by a physician administering a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient upon their express request.

The official government website explains that requests for euthanasia often come from patients experiencing unbearable suffering with no hope of improvement. Such requests must be made earnestly and with full conviction. Euthanasia is seen as the only escape from their situation, but patients do not have an absolute right to it, and doctors are not obligated to perform it.

Els and Jan made their decision before Els’ dementia advanced to a stage where she could not make the choice herself.

“If you take a lot of medicine, you live like a zombie,” Jan explained. “So, with the pain I have, and Els’ illness, I think we have to stop this.”

By “stop this,” Jan meant to stop living. “I’ve lived my life, I don’t want pain anymore,” he said. “The life we’ve lived, we’re getting old. We think it has to be stopped.”

“There is no other solution,” Els added.

Their son, who preferred to stay anonymous, described the experience as a “strange day.”

“I remember we were having dinner in the evening, and I got tears in my eyes just watching us all having that final dinner together,” he shared with BBC. “The final half hour was difficult. The doctors arrived and everything happened quickly—they follow their routine, and then it’s just a matter of minutes.”

On June 3, doctors administered the lethal medication to Jan and Els, who passed away together at a local hospice.