101-Year-Old Woman Chooses Medical Aid in Dying to ‘Close the Loop on Life,’ Calling the Option a ‘Wonderful Gift’

A 101-year-old woman opened up about her decision to end her life with medical aid in dying.

Paulette Fiset-Germain — a mother of three from Quebec, Canada — spoke to Le Journal de Quebec and explained that she had always lived a very active and independent life. However, her health started to decline last year after suffering two falls and a stroke.

“It started when I fractured my hip and I was no longer able to do anything,” she told the outlet.

“I started having difficulty using the walker, I have one hand I can’t use, the other I struggle with, I can’t see out of one side. I’ve reached the end of my rope,” she said. “You know when the glass starts to spill, it’s time to do something. Besides, you’re struggling 24 hours a day, you’re not sleeping. We’re going to close the loop.”

Recognizing how much she was struggling, Fiset-Germain spoke to her family doctor and a specialist about wanting to end her life using medical aid in dying (MAID).

The choice was available to her under Canada’s MAID legislation, which went into effect in June 2016. The law allows patients with terminal illnesses to end their lives with lethal medication either taken themselves or administered by a physician or nurse.

“I’ve had a good life,” she said. “I loved life so much. I gave a lot, but I received a lot. There aren’t many people who have had all the love and respect I’ve had in my life. I don’t know of any enemies.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

On Nov. 27, Fiset-Germain shared her decision to die with staff and residents at Manoir Cap-Santé, the retirement home in Quebec where she lived.

“I received excellent care here and I am very happy to spend my final days here and die in my bed,” she said.

The announcement was met with mixed feelings from those closest to her.

“It saddens us, but we respect her decision,” Guylaine Dufresne, manager of the Manoir Cap-Santé, told the Journal. “She is loved by everyone and everyone loves her. She is perfectly lucid and very calm. Her home is here and she deserves to leave peacefully.”

Adelyre Goeguen, her longtime friend, said the news still upsets him. “Damn, I didn’t like it right away,” he said. “It was a shock, and I still can’t accept it at all.”

“It’s a good decision,” her cousin and best friend, Louisette Huard, added. “After the life she’s had, the physical condition she’s in, it makes a significant difference.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Fiset-Germain said she was at peace knowing her family was on board with her decision, calling MAID a “gift.”

“My children accepted my decision because they know me, they know I’m ready for this,” she explained. “[They] told me: ‘It’s my choice, it’s my body, it’s my life.’”

“My decision doesn’t cause me any stress,” she told the outlet. “In fact, I’m looking forward to it. When the doctor agreed, I said, ‘You’re giving me a really wonderful gift.’”

On Monday, Dec. 1, Fiset-Germain ended her life in her own bed around 2 p.m. Prior to her death, she said she would be donating her body to science. Her ashes are to be interred on May 21, 2026, what would have been her 102nd birthday.