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They Scheduled Her Death While Her Family Was Away
It’s Time to Stop MAID Overreach I Bill Vassilopoulos
Bill Vassilopoulos
8/12/20262 min read
They Scheduled Her Death While Her Family Was Away
It’s Time to Stop MAID Overreach I Bill Vassilopoulos
Brigitte Stegemann—known to her family simply as "GG"—was an 83-year-old devout Christian living with untreatable Stage IV stomach cancer at a care home in Belleville, Ontario. Believing that assisted suicide violated her faith, she explicitly rejected the procedure two months prior to her death, choosing instead to let her life end naturally.
Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, held power of attorney and had helped manage GG’s care for over 12 years. Yet while Kranendonk was away on a brief 10-day trip, staff reopened discussions about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) privately with Stegemann.
The family severely questioned her ability to give informed consent. Stegemann was deaf in one ear, hard of hearing in the other, and weak. During a July 7 assessment, she was unable to answer basic questions, claiming she had no siblings despite being one of 14 children. Nevertheless, the doctor met with her alone, deemed her mentally capable, and overrode the power of attorney.
When Kranendonk returned and asked her grandmother if she understood what was happening, Stegemann wept. Her recorded words were direct: “They’re gonna kill me?”
On July 10, despite Stegemann’s distress and silence when the doctor arrived, the procedure moved forward. The doctor allegedly said, “Okay, well, I’m just gonna get started then.” Moments later, the lethal injection was administered.
Reporter and advocate Kelsi Sheren brought this account to light on July 27, exposing a systemic pattern that is becoming eerily common across Canada. What was originally framed as a rare measure for exceptional circumstances has transformed into a routine institutional protocol.
According to Health Canada, 16,499 Canadians died through MAiD in 2024—accounting for 5% of all deaths nationwide. Over 20% of applicants cited "isolation or loneliness" as a driving reason for their request. As Rebecca Vachon of the think tank Cardus noted, “MAiD has gone from exceptional to routine. This is a far cry from the expectations established by courts and political leaders.”
When systemic efficiency replaces genuine care, pressure quietly shifts onto the vulnerable. When people are at their lowest—frail, confused, or physically deteriorating—the absolute last thing they need from medical professionals is a subtle push toward the door.
In my book, Eyes Above the Water, I interviewed a psychiatric intake nurse who spent years working directly with elderly patients. I asked him what he believed was the single greatest threat facing our seniors today.
He didn't name chronic illness, dementia, or loss of mobility.
His answer was loneliness.
Far too many seniors spend their final years in isolated silence, quietly internalizing the message that their existence is an inconvenience. They watch their families struggle with busy schedules, hear about overburdened healthcare systems, and eventually convince themselves that disappearing is the kindest thing they can do.
They are wrong.
Remember friends, you are irreplaceable. You are unrepeatable. You are deeply valued, and you are never a burden.
Seniors are not line items on a hospital balance sheet, nor are they inconveniences to be managed out of sight. They are keepers of history, family, and human dignity.
We all have a role to play in breaking their isolation. It starts with showing up. Make a deliberate point to visit a senior in your family or community. Bring them a warm meal, set down a board game, or bring a pet for them to hold. Sing a song, or simply sit and listen. If you have children, bring their grandkids to fill the room with life. These small, intentional acts of presence give someone a reason to hold on.
If we do not actively build safeguards around those who cannot advocate for themselves, an administrative machine will continue to decide whose lives are worth saving. We must reject the quiet normalization of abandonment disguised as mercy.
[Learn more and read Eyes Above the Water here]
Bill Vassilopoulos