A British horse riding star left a heartbreaking letter as she died from assisted suicide after suffering a devastating spine injury in a horror fall.
Caroline March, 31, revealed why she wanted to end her life in a moving message she shared on her public Facebook page, saying: ‘No one can really understand what I’m going through.’
She was knocked unconscious in a serious fall during a cross-country skiing event at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market in Norfolk on April 16, 2022.
As she tried to recover, she underwent extensive physiotherapy and flew to the US for experimental treatment, but continued to be hampered by the serious injury that had plagued her for almost two years.
Mrs March, from Colchester, revealed her despair at being unable to do ‘anything and everything’ she once loved – having previously thrived on ‘adrenaline hits’ and ‘spontaneity’.
Professional racer Caroline March, 31, suffered a horror fall in April 2022
Caroline’s death by assisted suicide was announced on Saturday
She also posted a heartbreaking letter on her Facebook explaining her decision
Describing herself as “strong-minded and “independent,” someone who “hates asking for help,” she said her letter aimed to “silence the voices” of people who might challenge her decision.
Mrs March, whose death was announced on Saturday, began her letter by saying: ‘Where do I even start writing this?
‘I would prefer not to say anything at all, because at the end of the day the people I care about know, but of course everyone has an opinion that they feel they need to say.’
She continued, “I have never understood society’s obsession with longevity and the need to live as long as possible.
‘Alan Watts, a well-known philosopher, famously said: ‘I would rather have a short life full of what I like than live a long life in a miserable way.’
‘Assisted suicide is always something I have believed in and I have always said that if something were to happen to me and I found myself in a situation where I could not have the quality of life that I wanted, that this would be the route are the ones I would take. .
“I’m not going to lie, I never thought it would become a reality, but here we are.”
Mrs March is seen with a horse after her accident during a cross-country skiing event at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market in Norfolk
The death of Mrs March, who loved horses, was announced last Saturday
Mrs. March revealed her despair at being unable to do “anything and everything” she once loved
She added: “I could continue but it is a decision I have made as to what is the best route for me.
‘No one can really understand what I have to go through. My utmost respect to all who have not only built a life after injury, but also to those who have flourished. ‘
Mrs. March also described her desire for a family of her own, writing, “All I ever wanted was a family and I would have given it all up for one in a heartbeat. Two/three little twigs run around the family farm and have inherited my wild ways.
‘I really wanted to be a young mother and that would have been a damn good thing.’
She was a professional rider up to four-star level, but her injury forced her to give up eventing despite ‘successful’ spinal surgery on a fractured vertebra.
She wrote: ‘There are many new treatments for spinal cord injury and the developments are exciting. For someone else’s sake, I hope this continues so that my expected future isn’t the same for everyone.
‘A broken back can quickly be treated in the same way as a broken arm. It’s not the existence I want. The bowel and bladder regimen, the sexual function, the whole inability to do everything I love.
‘I have felt so much love from so many people over the years. I wish love could fix it or even make it bearable, but it can’t.
Mrs. March revealed her despair at being unable to do “anything and everything” she once loved
Mrs March is seen before her accident at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market in Norfolk on April 16, 2022
Ms March was a professional rider up to four-star level, but her injury forced her to give up eventing despite ‘successful’ spinal surgery on a fractured vertebra.
‘A quality that used to be my strength is now my downfall. I’m so stubborn and determined, I have to be good at everything I do or I’ll slam the door.
‘I’m an incredible person, something I really believe in now, but it doesn’t change anything. Life is cruel, really cruel. I was great, a completely independent, stubborn bastard, but I was a good one.”
Her death was announced online by Eventing News, who wrote: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Caroline March’s passing yesterday, March 23, just over a month after her 31st birthday.
‘Caroline was known and loved in the British eventing community for her big personality and fiery streak, and her enthusiasm for the things she loved, which helped her achieve much in her thirty years.
‘She was a four-star professional event rider, and after an injury that ended her career at Burnham Market in 2022, she fought to find new ways to pursue joy and purpose.
‘But no matter how many talents someone has, they are much more than what they do, and Caroline’s passing – a dignified end to her life of her own choosing – will be mourned by a wide range of people who were fortunate. to count herself among her friends and family.
‘Here’s to you, Caroline, you stayed completely true to yourself until the end. We always raise a glass to that.
“Everyone at Team EN extends our deepest condolences to Caroline’s family and friends.”
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