After eight years of fighting Lyme disease, Drummondville resident Stéphanie Lavoie died last Friday at the age of 30. Exhausted and at the end of resources, the young woman resorted to medical assistance in dying and died gently surrounded by her loved ones.
Before dying, Stéphanie recorded an audio message that she sent to TVA Nouvelles through her family, the day after her death.
“After eight years of fighting, of being strong with fantastic people around me, I am at peace with putting down my weapons,” she said.
In her message recorded in April, she explains that she has been eating only bananas since last summer, the only food that her digestive system tolerates, and that she weighs only 59 pounds.
“I have been told that I do not have a diagnosis that falls into the category that allows entry into the ministry’s home intravenous feeding program. Is it ethical to let someone die because they do not fit into one of the famous boxes that we have identified?
Stéphanie Lavoie’s story touched Quebec in the spring of 2023, when the young woman described living with intense pain and having to spend her days in her room away from the light. Dependent on those close to her, she said she did not want to be a burden on her family.
Thanks to an outpouring of generosity from the Quebec population, the woman from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean was able to travel to Mexico to receive treatment in a specialized clinic. Unfortunately, her “healing journey” as she called it did not yield the results she hoped for.
In her farewell message, the Drummondvilloise wanted to thank the population: “I thank each and every Quebecer who believed in me, who supported me and who allowed me to dream and have hope longer, to have continued my battles and to really have the feeling of having tried everything.”
In turn, and for one last time, she wanted to be a Source of hope: “To all those who are fighting, whether for Lyme disease or for another disease that is little or not recognized, I say good luck, good luck, don’t give up and continue to believe in yourself and support each other, it’s so important.
Stéphanie Lavoie’s funeral will take place on Sunday in her hometown of Dolbeau-Mistassini.
