A 28-year-old British-Ghanaian artist has opted to end his life with euthanasia rather than continue living with a mental illness. Joseph Awuah-Darko, who has documented his decades-long battle with mental health on social media, moved to the Netherlands to legally end his life due to the unbearable pain of living with bipolar disorder. He is currently waiting for approval for euthanasia, which could take up to four years. Till then, he has initiated 'The Last Supper Project,' connecting with strangers over dinners to share his journey, as per People.
"I am bipolar and I moved to the Netherlands to legally end my life," Mr Joseph said in an emotional Instagram video posted in December. The 28-year-old shared his struggles with the mental illness. He said that he wakes up every day in "severe pain", which led him to opt for a medically assisted death. He revealed that he spent five years contemplating the decision before filing an official request with the Euthanasia Expert Centre in the Netherlands.
"I am not saying that life (as a phenomenon) isn't worth living. It ABSOLUTELY is. What I am saying is that the mental weight of MINE has become entirely unbearable," he wrote in the caption. "I am NOT special, like many people in their 20s; the constant burnout, the burden of debt, paralysing depression, violent media cycle and the dystopian reality of AI ...all weigh heavy. The reality I face of being bipolar exacerbates all this," he said.
"Now more than ever, the possibility of being humanely put to rest with dignity matters," he added. "I'm ready to go home."
Speaking to The Times, the 28-year-old explained why he has opted to end his life with euthanasia. "There is a dignity attached to doing it this way, with as much closure, patience and understanding in knowing that you will not have to be discovered lifeless by somebody else, not a train conductor, not your sibling, not your friends," Mr Joseph said. "You will have a non-violent end to your life with medical assistance, with support, with closure for those who love you," he added.
Ever since Mr Joesph shared his story publicly, he has received mixed reactions. While some expressed that they respected his decision, others urged him to change his mind. He also received more than 100 messages from strangers inviting him to have dinner with them, which quickly inspired him to launch his worldwide dinner tour called 'The Last Supper Project'.
According to People, so far, Mr Joseph has travelled to Paris, Milan, Brussels, and Berlin for 57 dinners, which he's documented on social media. He has over 120 more dinners planned through August.
"I thought, 'As I work with this non-violent transition in my life, why don't I connect with people to break bread?'" Mr Joesph told The Times. "I find that I quite literally was made to interact with people this way, it's such a beautiful, organic part of my life. It doesn't feel difficult," he continued. "I enjoy decentering myself from my life and being a part of other people's during dinner. I do find great fulfilment in connecting with people this way," he said.
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The 28-year-old still regularly shares videos of how much he still struggles with his bipolar disorder. While he appreciates the sense of community from the dinners, he said he feels neither better nor worse.
"I still do wake up with breathing, really profound pain attached to my bipolar disorder. There's a huge amount of ambivalence," he told the outlet. "I hope that (people with chronic mental illness) feel seen through my existence and my decision to live as authentically as possible. If I end up doing this for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be upset," he added.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is a manic-depressive illness of the brain that causes extreme changes in mood and energy levels.
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