Sitting in the armchair, I watch my 94-year-old mother lying in bed. She is resting with the support of an oxygen cannula that allows her body to maintain its oxygenation at an appropriate level. I look at her in silence and it hurts me to see her bruised face and broken arms from the sudden fall.

Those were difficult days for the whole family, but especially for her. Deep and sharp pains. Complete incapacity because her immobilized and painful hands do not allow her to take care of her most intimate needs on her own.

And so life suddenly surprises us. I remember my mother as always independent, lucid, hardworking and full of enormous strength that allowed her to overcome the obstacles that life put in her way. His attitude and pain-relieving drugs help him cope with his new condition. With fear, he takes the first steps that help him get out of that slow agony that means being in bed 24 hours a day. Recovery begins.

This is not the case for all patients. Many people never manage to regain their quality of life after accidents and/or illness. Although the pain, which intensifies, can be alleviated with very strong drugs, her condition is constantly worsening with the progression of diseases for which there is no cure. The drama for patients is indescribable, but also for their loved ones. Everyone needs patience and lots of love. It’s all good if that’s it. Furthermore, the problem is that there is not enough money to try to alleviate the suffering of the patients somehow.

I met Paola Roldán a few years ago. I remember tall, beautiful, healthy and full of life. Her wedding date was approaching and that gave her a special light. He achieved his goals professionally and today he was looking for a family that would fill his heart. And it was like that. Suddenly, life struck him with an incurable disease that took away the strength of his body, but not his heart and mind, which continue to work tirelessly.

Regardless of what is happening in her life, Paola in her great strength wants to leave us an intimate gift, in case we need it one day. The right, in the case of an incurable disease, to medical assistance in death. Like Paola, those in this situation want to die in peace without having to hide.

Euthanasia is not new, it happens more than we think. Many doctors secretly help these people die, but what could be a moment of peace and tranquility is done in secret, with guilt and loneliness, because it is a crime. However, this does not prevent it from happening.

Paola put the right to a dignified death into the national debate. He proposes the decriminalization of euthanasia. It is about making it a right for the many people who, tied to a machine, cannot decide on their own death.

The Constitutional Court has in its hands the decision to release these people so that they can end their suffering safely and in complete peace and tranquility.

Thank you, Paola, for giving us life lessons, strength and courage in the midst of your extreme situation. (OR)