Marieke Vervoort was a Belgian Paralympic athlete with reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
10 Facts About Marieke Vervoort
1.
2.
Marieke Vervoort won several medals at the Paralympics, and she received worldwide attention in 2016 when she revealed that she was considering euthanasia.
3.
Marieke Vervoort was paratriathlon world champion in 2006 and 2007, and in 2007, competed in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.
4.
Marieke Vervoort retired from triathlons when her condition became worse.
5.
Marieke Vervoort set world records in the T52 400m at Kortrijk, Belgium, and the T52 800m at Oordegem in 2013.
6.
Marieke Vervoort injured her shoulder, requiring surgery and ten months of rehabilitation.
7.
Marieke Vervoort covered 200 meters in 35.91, which was two seconds slower than her European record, prior to her accident.
8.
Marieke Vervoort began experiencing symptoms at the age of 14 of what would later be diagnosed as reflex sympathetic dystrophy: an incurable degenerative disease of the muscles and spine, which caused severe pain, paralysis in her legs, and made it very difficult for her to sleep.
9.
Marieke Vervoort had epilepsy, and lived with her assistance dog, Zenn, who was able to alert her to an upcoming seizure an hour before it occurred.
10.
Marieke Vervoort's decision was supported by other Paralympians, such as Briton Ollie Hynd.