On November 27, 2018, in a hospital in Sweden, Mina Kojima lay quietly in a hospital bed, a camera recording the last moments of her life, so quiet that she could almost hear her own breathing. Her eyes were calm and determined, and the hanging bottle hanging next to the infusion stand was full of the pills that ended her life - euthanasia.
Opening the infusion pulley, life will quietly dissipate in four minutes, she smiled at the camera, left a simple but profound last word, and slowly turned on the switch.
The story of Mina Kojima begins with a broken family. Kojima's father originally longed for a son, but fate brought him three daughters.
The disappointed father took out his anger on his family, which eventually led to the mother leaving with her three daughters, ending the tragic marriage.
Mina Kojima is the youngest and most vulnerable in the family, so her sisters give up their studies and work outside to support the family so that she can continue her education.
Despite growing up without fatherly love, she gradually grew into an independent and strong woman under the care of her sisters. She cherished every opportunity to study, and eventually entered Seoul National University with excellent grades and became a translator.
But Mina has a deep fear of love since she was a child, and her parents' discord makes her lose faith in marriage, in which case she decides to focus on her career and prove her worth with her work - she works so hard that she often neglects her physical condition.
When she was forty-five years old, a sudden illness completely changed her life, and she blamed the fatigue of overwork with her initial hand tremors and frequent falls, until one day, she could no longer pick up a glass of water, and she realized the seriousness of the problem.
After a series of tests, doctors came up with a diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA), an incurable disease that gradually deprives her of mobility.
Faced with this sudden blow, Mina's world seems to collapse, and her life changes from an independent professional woman to a patient who relies on others to care for her.
This was a great torment for her, she didn't want to be a burden to anyone, let alone live without dignity in the midst of illness, and after a long struggle with the disease, she made a decision - euthanasia.
This decision was very painful for her two sisters, but they eventually respected Muina's choice, and they accompanied Mui Ne to Switzerland on her final journey of life.
At the moment of euthanasia, Mina felt more relaxed and calm than ever, and she knew that this was the last and most dignified choice she had made for herself in the midst of an irreversible illness.
Everyone has the right to end the journey of life in the way they choose, and in the face of an irreversible fate, the most important thing is how to face the end of life with dignity and calm.
And for those who stay, the most important thing is understanding and respect, the dignity of life, not only the strength and unyielding in life, but sometimes, also the respect and blessing of the last journey of life.
Story source: Japanese documentary "She Chose Euthanasia"
