Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian woman, died during a medically assisted death procedure in Canada after her granddaughter says she had previously told the family she did not want MAiD – and later became distressed after learning she was scheduled to undergo the procedure.
Brigitte Stegemann, a German-born Christian known to her family as “GG” or “Oma,” died at The Pearl care home in Cannifton on July 10.
Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, had cared for Stegemann for 12 years and served as her medical power of attorney for six. Kranendonk now alleges that her grandmother never clearly consented to the procedure on the morning of her death.
The care home and medical practitioners involved have not made public statements about the allegations, but they have maintained that Stegemann legally consented to MAiD.
Kranendonk has since contacted Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s Office, the Patient Ombudsman and Belleville Police. Police have confirmed that the circumstances surrounding Stegemann’s death are still being investigated.
“This incident is currently open and under investigation with our Criminal Investigations Division. We are unable to provide any additional information at this time,” a spokesman said, according to VT.
Her family says she had previously rejected MAiD
Stegemann was moved into The Pearl roughly a year and a half before her death as her physical and cognitive health deteriorated. In February, she was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. Doctors were uncertain about her prognosis, estimating that she could have around six months to live or potentially as long as two years.
According to Kranendonk, the family had discussed different end-of-life options with Stegemann, including medical assistance in dying.
But Kranendonk says her grandmother had been clear about her wishes.
“No, I don’t want that,” Stegemann reportedly told her.
Her Christian faith was also an important part of her opposition to assisted dying, according to her granddaughter.
That changed while Kranendonk and her husband were away on a 10-day road trip.
On July 3, Kranendonk got a call informing her that the care home planned to arrange a MAiD assessment because Stegemann’s condition had worsened.
By the time Kranendonk returned, her grandmother had already undergone an initial consultation.
“No one called me,” she said.
Granddaughter questioned the assessment
Kranendonk attended Stegemann’s second assessment and said she became concerned.
“She explains MAiD to my grandmother by saying: ’We’re going to give you medicine, you’re going to feel at peace. And I just want you to know that you won’t have a bowel movement.”
Kranendonk said English was not her grandmother’s first language and that she was hearing-impaired.
“My Oma’s just kind of nodding,” she recalled.
She also questioned the results of the cognitive assessment used to determine whether Stegemann was capable of consenting to MAiD.
During the assessment, Kranendonk says her grandmother claimed she had no siblings, despite having 13. She also reportedly said they were all dead, although Kranendonk says two were still living.
“I was astonished that she was given the okay,” Kranendonk said.
The doctor ultimately told Kranendonk that Stegemann had been “deemed fit for MAiD, and we’re going to proceed.”
The procedure was scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
Brigitte Stegemann assisted death
The day before, staff reportedly considered moving the appointment to Thursday because the doctor had an opening. Kranendonk objected, saying Stegemann’s pastor and son would not be able to arrive in time.
She then sat down with her grandmother to explain exactly what was going to happen.
“I used very frank terms. I said, ‘Do you know that you’re going to die on Friday?’” she told the Daily Mail.
According to Kranendonk, her grandmother became extremely upset and cried for roughly 45 minutes.
Eventually, Stegemann allegedly told her granddaughter: “I’ve made a mistake.”
“She was bawling. Inconsolable,” Kranendonk said.
“I just kept saying there’s no mistake, there’s no mistake. You don’t have to do this,” she recalled. “The doctors are coming on Friday, and you just say no.”
Eventually, however, Kranendonk stopped focusing on the MAiD decision because she did not want to “keep fighting MAiD, and lose sight of who I’m fighting for.”
Instead, she says she chose to spend time with her grandmother and trusted the care home staff to handle the situation appropriately.
“My Oma wasn’t the only vulnerable one in that situation – I was. I was vulnerable in the loss and love of my grandmother, being her care provider, and I was vulnerable in trusting that they were making the right decisions,” she said. “It all felt so sped up and in slow motion at the same time.”
The morning of her death
On Friday, July 10, Stegemann’s family spent time with her in the care home garden. They ate strawberry ice cream and prayed with her pastor.
Kranendonk says they had been outside for around 10 minutes when, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the MAiD nurse asked everyone to return inside.
This surprised the family because they had been told the doctor would not arrive until 11 a.m.
Kranendonk alleges that the nurse struggled to insert the IV and pierced her grandmother several times.
“There was a phenomenal amount of blood,” she said. “It is all over my Oma’s arm, it is all over her nightie, soaking through her pillow, all over the sheets, there is so much blood… And throughout all this time, mind you, the nurse is not wearing gloves.”
When the doctor arrived, Kranendonk says Stegemann was told she would be given “medicine” and was asked whether that was okay.
“I was crying”
According to Kranendonk, her grandmother did not respond.
“My Oma is not moving. She doesn’t open her eyes. She doesn’t nod. She doesn’t say anything, and the doctor just said: ‘Okay, well, I’m going to proceed.’”
Stegemann was pronounced dead approximately 10 minutes later.
Kranendonk says she could not determine exactly what had happened because her grandmother had been so unresponsive.
She questioned whether Stegemann had died shortly before the procedure, whether the MAiD medication caused her death, or whether she had simply been deeply focused on prayer.
Kranendonk also claims that a heartbeat was not checked either before or after the procedure.
She recalled that her grandmother had still been interacting with her earlier that morning.
“What was concerning, though, is that that morning, I was crying. My grandmother looked at me and said, ‘If you don’t stop crying, I’m not going to sleep tonight.’ She said that to me on Friday morning,” she said.
Family seeks answers after her death
Following Stegemann’s death, Kranendonk says she learned that nurses cannot pressure patients into pursuing MAiD and that required documentation is supposed to be completed before the procedure takes place.
She alleges that some of her grandmother’s paperwork was completed only after her death.
“She did not consent on the morning of the procedure,” Kranendonk said.
She believes her grandmother was euthanized against her will.
Kranendonk says she has repeatedly requested Stegemann’s medical records from The Pearl but has not received them.
She also regrets not attempting to obtain a legal injunction that could potentially have stopped the procedure, although she says she did not know that was an option at the time.
Removing Stegemann from the care home was also not something Kranendonk felt she could realistically do because her grandmother continued to require medical treatment.
“We live in Canada, where medical care is not always easy to get. She still needed medical care. I could not just scoop her up and bring her home,” she said.
The allegations surrounding Stegemann’s death remain under investigation by Belleville Police. The care home and practitioners involved have not publicly addressed Kranendonk’s specific allegations, while maintaining that Stegemann had legally consented to MAiD.
READ MORE
- Cindy Crawford’s son shared a haunting message before his death at 27
- John Ritter’s sons are all grown up and fans can’t get over the resemblance