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83-year-old Christian grandmother allegedly euthanized against her will after telling family she had “made a mistake”
An 83-year-old Christian grandmother was allegedly euthanized against her will after telling her loved ones that she had "made a mistake".
Brigitte Kranendonk is a real estate agent who cared for her grandmother, Brigitte Stegemann, for 12 years and served as her medical power of attorney for six.
In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Kranendonk said she sat down with Stegemann, a German-born Christian known as "GG" or "Oma," two days before the scheduled MAiD [medical aid in dying] procedure and clearly explained what would happen.
"I used very frank terms. I said, 'Do you know that you’re going to die on Friday?'" she said.
The real estate agent revealed that the 83-year-old began crying and was upset for about 45 minutes before allegedly saying: "I've made a mistake."
"She was bawling. Inconsolable," Kranendonk told the outlet, adding that her grandmother had struggled during a cognitive assessment meant to check whether she was mentally able to consent to MAiD.
Stegemann died at The Pearl care home in Cannifton on July 10. Kranendonk alleges her grandmother did not clearly agree to the procedure that morning.
The care home and the practitioners involved have not issued public statements, but they have claimed that Stegemann had legally consented.
Kranendonk has contacted Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s Office, the Patient Ombudsman and Belleville Police.
"She was a vulnerable human being, and they saw an opportunity," she said.
Stegemann's cancer diagnosis and earlier opposition to euthanasia
About a year and a half before her death, Stegemann’s family had moved her into The Pearl after her physical and cognitive health began deteriorating.
In February, she was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. Doctors were not sure whether she had around six months to live or possibly as long as two years.
Kranendonk says she discussed end-of-life options with her grandmother, including MAiD.
She remembers Stegemann saying clearly: "No, I don't want that."
Kranendonk also says her grandmother’s Christian faith played a big role in her opposition to assisted dying.
Concerns about the assessment
The situation changed while Kranendonk and her husband were away on a 10-day road trip.
On July 3, she received a call saying the care home planned to arrange a MAiD assessment because Stegemann’s health had declined.
When Kranendonk came back from the trip, she learned that her grandmother had already had her first consultation. "No one called me," she said.
Kranendonk attended the second assessment and said she became concerned about how MAiD was explained: "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."
The real estate agent said her grandma's first language was not English and that she was severely hearing-impaired. "My Oma’s just kind of nodding," she added.
During the cognitive test, Stegemann allegedly said she had no siblings, even though she had 13.
She also said none were still alive, but Kranendonk says two were.
"I was astonished that she was given the okay," Kranendonk remarked in the interview.
The doctor later said Stegemann had been "deemed fit for MAiD, and we're going to proceed." The procedure was scheduled for Friday at 11AM.
The day before, Kranendonk says staff considered moving it to Thursday because the doctor had an earlier opening. She objected because Stegemann’s pastor and son would not have been able to arrive in time.
Kranendonk then spoke directly to her grandmother again and explained what was scheduled to happen on Friday.
Her grandmother broke down and said she had made a mistake.
"I just kept saying there's no mistake, there's no mistake. You don't have to do this," Kranendonk responded. "The doctors are coming on Friday, and you just say no."
Eventually, she stopped pushing the issue because she did not want to "keep fighting MAiD, and lose sight of who I'm fighting for".
Instead, she focused on spending quality time with her grandmother and trusted the care home staff to treat her properly.
"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 Stegemann’s death
On Friday, July 10, Stegemann’s family took her into the care home garden for strawberry ice cream and prayers with her pastor.
At 9.30AM, after the family had spent about 10 minutes outside, Kranendonk says the MAiD nurse asked everyone to go indoors even though they had been told the doctor would not arrive until 11AM.
She alleges the nurse had difficulty inserting the IV line and pierced Stegemann 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 entered the room, Kranendonk says Stegemann was told she would be given "medicine" and was asked if that was okay.
"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 within 10 minutes.
Kranendonk says her grandmother had been so unresponsive that she does not know whether she had died shortly before the procedure, died because of MAiD, or was simply in deep prayer.
She also claims no heartbeat was taken before or after the procedure.
"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 added.
After Stegemann’s death, Kranendonk learned that nurses are not allowed to pressure patients to pursue MAiD and that the required documentation must be completed before the procedure.
Kranendonk claims some of her late Oma's paperwork was completed after her death.
"She did not consent on the morning of the procedure," she said, believing that her grandmother was euthanized against her will.
She says she has repeatedly asked The Pearl for Stegemann’s medical records but has not received them.
Kranendonk now regrets not seeking a legal injunction to stop the procedure, though she says she did not know this might have been an option. She also felt unable to remove Stegemann from the home because her grandmother still needed medical care.
"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.
Belleville Police have confirmed that the allegations surrounding Stegemann’s death remain under investigation.
"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.