‘I have lived my life, I do not want pain anymore’
A couple – who had spent their lives together since childhood, after meeting in kindergarten – died together, ending their lives by lethal injection.
Jan Faber and Els van Leeningen, from the Netherlands, were married for almost 50 years and had a son together.
The couple were surrounded by friends and family in the hours before their death.
After more than a decade of heavy lifting and hands-on work as an operator of a cargo boat, Jan suffered from severe back pain for over 20 years. He had surgery on his back in 2003, but it did not improve. He had halted a heavy regime of pain killers and could no longer work.
Meanwhile, his wife, Els, was diagnosed with dementia and in the later years, she struggled to formulate her sentences.
Els and Jan spent their final day with their son and grandchildren. They played games, chatted, and Els went for a beach walk with her son.
‘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 said.
Visit the 🔗 in our bio to read the full story
#MetroUK #Netherlands #Love 
