“I didn’t realize it for the first fortnight before the funeral. It occurred to me that he had just left and would return. Now, after the funeral, which was last week, it’s worse, I miss it and it’s a more sensitive topic, “Markéta described in an interview.
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She and Martin, accompanied by her father and sister, left for Switzerland at the end of June, where Martin underwent a long-planned euthanasia. He decided to die alone and not wait for an insidious disease to decide.
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“It’s not like in the movies, where relatives are basically happy to see the man at the last moments, holding his hand and the man is leaving, but for me it was probably the most traumatizing experience,” admits Markéta.
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Margaret held her husband’s hand tightly as she left.
Photo: archive of Markéta Přecechtěl Kočí
“As we arrived, Dr. Martin examined and tested whether he could drink from a glass on his own. He still couldn’t do it, so the doctor said the substance might be given intravenously. The next morning he came again and asked Martin if he was sure and if he had not changed his mind. But he was determined. At eleven we arrived at the apartment where he was euthanizing. He didn’t manage to drink from a glass there either, so in the end the decision was made about intravenous administration, “Markéta described.
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If you drink a deadly cocktail, you need to be able to drink it in two minutes, which Martin couldn’t. Intravenous administration was not without problems either, Martina described how they tried to connect a weakened and malnourished husband in both hands several times before they succeeded.
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“Then it was up to Martin to push a button. The nurse told him she had time for as long as she wanted. But Martin said he wanted to. Maybe he wanted to get it over with and relieve himself, I don’t know. He fell into a coma within thirty seconds. Then it usually takes ten to fifteen minutes for a person to stop breathing and leave, but it is not precisely determined, it can take an hour. In addition, it was not connected to any devices, so I did not know when it was no longer here, ”she added sadly.
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Their last day together fell on Tuesday, June 29. Markéta remained by his side until the last moment, holding his hand as he left. The last words were for feelings and common children.
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“I told him I loved him, which he knows, and don’t be afraid to take care of the children,” she described Martin’s last words.
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Martin’s doctors diagnosed with incurable amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS last February, but before that he began to show the first symptoms of increased fatigue. After failing to participate in some of the ALS clinical trials, and after becoming so weak due to the disease that he was unable to walk, he decided last November to undergo euthanasia in Switzerland.
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However, Swiss rules for assisted suicide require one to inject the substance oneself. In Martin’s case, it was a race against time, as long as he had the last strength left. Although Markéta did not agree with euthanasia, she supported her husband in his decision. But Martin had to enforce the date of euthanasia at her.
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They keep time for themselves
In addition to Markéta, Martin left behind two small children. According to Markéta, they still manage to cope with the loss of their father.
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“At first I wanted to tell them that Dad was just sleeping. But on the advice of a pediatric therapist, I told them the truth so that they wouldn’t find out elsewhere and it didn’t bother them anymore. The daughter is two and a half and she doesn’t understand it yet. He just occasionally looks up and repeats that his dad is dead and in the dark, “Markéta described.
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The funeral took place last week in Šumperk, the hometown of Martin Přecechtěl.
Photo: archive of Markéta Přecechtěl Kočí
“My son is four, and when I told him Dad died, he was sad, but he doesn’t understand all the context. Sometimes he still collects stones and the like for him. But he cried at the funeral, so he probably knows that Dad isn’t here and probably won’t be, “she added.
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She feels to herself that after demanding preparations and the departure of her husband, she needs more time for herself.
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“I’m like in a tunnel now, I’m away from people, we’re not even watching TV. I now devote all my time to children and I have no other plans yet, ”she described. But he is going to implement one plan, together with the children to go on holiday by the sea.
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“They are really looking forward to it and ask every day when we go. So they’re looking forward to it, and so are I, “she added.
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