Granddaughter Claims Grandmother Did Not Understand MAID Procedure Before Death

The granddaughter of an 83-year-old Canadian woman who died through the country’s assisted-death program has stated that her grandmother was unaware she was about to die until she was informed that a lethal injection was scheduled. Brigitte Kranendonk, who cared for her grandmother Brigitte Stegemann, said the family cut short a vacation after learning that the long-term care home had scheduled a second MAiD assessment, despite Stegemann having previously declined the procedure.

"Just before we had come back from our vacation, I received a phone call from the home stating that they had booked a second assessment for MAiD to happen with my grandmother, and at this point my Oma had already denied MAiD," Kranendonk told Fox News Digital. "When we went to the home after our vacation – we did cut it short, we came home, we saw her. She had no idea what was happening."

Stegemann had been diagnosed with stomach cancer but reportedly maintained a good appetite and spirits. Kranendonk stated that when MAiD was presented as an option, her grandmother rejected it, even pulling out an IV port multiple times, saying, "I don't want the death shot."

Kranendonk explained that her grandmother’s first language was not English, and she was severely hearing impaired. She expressed concern that Stegemann may not have fully understood the MAiD process when it was explained. "My grandmother's first language is not English," Kranendonk said. "She is severely hearing impaired. And she, her whole life, was terrified of feeling dumb. She never wanted to look as if she didn't understand what was going on. And so when the doctor came in and was explaining MAiD and using very loose terms, like, ‘We're just going to give you medicine, you're not going to feel pain. And don't worry, you won't have a bowel movement,’ my grandma's just sitting there nodding. And I stopped, and I said to her, ‘She doesn't understand what you're saying.’"

When Kranendonk directly asked Stegemann if she understood she would die that day, her grandmother became visibly distressed, cried for about 45 minutes, and repeatedly said, "I made a mistake."

Kranendonk also raised concerns about the procedure itself. She alleged that the nurse administering the IV was not wearing gloves and had difficulty inserting the needle, causing significant bleeding. Furthermore, Kranendonk claims that Stegemann did not verbally acknowledge the doctor’s final question before the procedure began. "And the doctor comes in and says, I can't remember exactly how she worded it, but it was something like, ‘Good morning, Brigitte, are you OK if we proceed with MAiD,’ or, ‘Are you OK if we proceed?’ I can't remember what she asked my Oma. My Oma doesn't say anything. No acknowledgment, no head nod, nothing. Just lying there with her eyes closed. And the doctor says, ‘OK, we're going to proceed.’"

Stegemann died under Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program on July 10. Kranendonk stated that the family is seeking investigations by the coroner’s office, an ombudsman, and the long-term care action line. "With the investigation with the coroner's office, the ombudsman, the long-term care action line, there's essentially two streams here that we're asking to be investigated under," Kranendonk said. "One is the part of the home, and the part that the home had played in this, and then also the MAiD process. The home had taken it upon themselves to fill out the paperwork, witness and get my Oma to sign off. I don't know what the conversation was that they had with her while she was signing the paperwork, I don't know if she even knew that it was the MAiD paperwork for it."

Fox News Digital reached out to The Pearl care home and Belleville Police for comment but did not immediately receive a response.