Her battle to end her life also sparked a new debate on right-to-die issues, as Bolen never walked and could only move her hands and her head. She made peace with dying, knowing that to continue would mean greater hurt, loss of her already limited function and still more operations.
Advertisement
Jerika’s mother, Jen, has always stood by her daughter’s hard decision.
In July, more than 1,000 people showed up to support Jerika at a “Last Dance” prom. “After that surgery-it didn’t work and my pain got worse-I kind of sat down and thought, ‘Am I doing this for me or for my family?’ I kind of realized I was doing it for my family”. “My only words to anyone questioning this is that I love that girl with every cell in my being”, Jen told the paper on Thursday, “and no one in their right mind would let someone suffer like she was”.
Her case drew national attention, prompting several outside groups to urge her to reconsider her decision.
Reuters could not reach Jen Bolen for comment on Thursday. “I wish there was some sort of instruction book”, Jen said.
Jerika Bolen of Appleton, Wisconsin, decided after her 38th surgery a few months ago she was ready to die.
Jen, a nurse and single mom, stayed busy with plans for the prom, dubbed “J’s Last Dance”.
Advertisement
“It’s so insane that people want to come here for little ol’ me”, she said that night. Bolen’s condition, which destroyed muscle and nerve cells, was incurable and would have steadily worsened.
