Brussels, (Brussels Morning)- After six years, the attacks in Brussels claim another victim. Shanti (23) opted for euthanasia in May after the depression and anxiety attacks became too much for her.
On March 22, 2016, Shanti was one of the students of the Sint-Rita College in Kontich who were queuing at the check-in counters at Zaventem airport. They were to leave on a trip to Rome. But then two terrorists detonated two heavy bombs.
Shanti was not injured physically, but psychologically she was badly hit by the terror, writes De Standaard . She suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and was severely depressed. She had terrible anxiety attacks and in the weeks after the attacks she barely slept.
Shanti sought help because she no longer dared to come out. She isolated herself completely. Because the doctors were unable to help her, they referred her to a psychiatrist. In the years that followed, she was recorded several times. She wrote about it on Facebook and she also gave lectures about it.
Unbearable
From her messages on Facebook it appears that Shanti was very grateful for all the help she received. She went to study orthopedagogy and joined a student club where she felt understood and supported. But at the same time she described how heavy the present is.
She dreamed of a life without fears. “A life where she doesn’t go through hell during the New Year’s Eve fireworks, where she can take the bus without having a panic attack when an ambulance passes. She wants a life where she decides what she does herself, and not the terrorists of Zaventem,” it sounded.
The panic attacks, depression and insomnia lasted for six years. Until Shanti became convinced that there was only one solution: euthanasia for unbearable suffering. After examination by a team of doctors, her request was granted. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office – which subsequently conducted an investigation – also concluded that the legal rules had been followed.
Her story has only just become known. Her parents choose not to respond for the time being.
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