What is chronic fatigue syndrome? Lauren Hoeve Euthanasia story explored as Dutch book blogger dies aged 28 

Dutch blogger Lauren Hoeve’s family took to her official blog to announce that she had passed away in the presence of her parents, Leonie and Peter, and her best friend, Lau. The Dutch blogger passed away on Saturday, January 27, as a result of assisted suicide. Before passing, she took to X and her blog to share her final thoughts.

On the day of her passing, Lauren Hoeve took to the social networking site to share with followers,

“This will be my last tweet. Thanks for the love, everyone. I’m going to rest a bit more and be with my loved ones. Enjoy the last morbid meme from me.”

On the day of her passing, she also took to her blog to share her life advice with her followers by reminding them to “look for the bright spots.”

Three days before being euthanized, she thanked her followers for sharing supportive messages with her and chatting with her online. She also wrote,

“I think I’m going back to what it was like before I was born: no existence, no consciousness. Ultimate peace.”

The Dutch blogger was euthanized after suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, which is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis. Lauren Hoeve was also autistic and diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety.

---

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome revealed as Lauren Hoeve passes away

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, CFS patients experience profound tiredness regardless of bed rest. No test can confirm the complicated disorder.

The symptoms of CFS vary from person to person, and they can change daily. However, some common symptoms, including fatigue, are extreme exhaustion after physical or mental exercise, problems with memory, experiencing dizziness after moving from lying down or from sitting to standing, muscle and joint pain, unrefreshing sleep, headaches, insomnia, mood swings, sensitivity to light, and low-grade fever, amongst others.

Although the cause of ME/CFS remains unknown, the Mayo Clinic revealed that it can run in families and pass on through genetics; some also develop the disorder through infections and experiencing severe physical or emotional trauma can also lead to the same.

According to the Christian Post, CFS is most common among those between 40 and 60. However, children are also impacted by the same, as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lauren Hoeve revealed on her blog that when she first told her doctor that she wanted to be voluntarily euthanized, he reportedly respected her wishes but declined to follow through due to her psychological conditions.

She was eventually placed on the waiting list by euthanasia specialists. Since then, several doctors assessed her mental health to find that she was “mentally competent” to sign her off for euthanasia in April 2023.

Lauren Hoeve’s mother revealed on her blog following her daughter’s passing that she feels “very sad and surreal.” Lauren is the second child the Hoeves family is losing, as their son passed away as well. Following Lauren’s death, her mother wrote on the blog,

“Please know that we have done everything realistically possible to find a way out. She still wanted to get so much out of life, she didn’t want to live to be 30 years old like this, let alone 60 or 80 years old… The only thing I see as a bright spot is that I no longer have to fear losing my children. I know where they are.”

In a press release by Lauren’s parents, they revealed that the blogger wanted followers to focus on funding clinical research for CFS. They also asked followers to support the ME Action Network and the Open Medicine Foundation, which aid CFS patients.