Family Accuses Canada of Euthanizing Son with Seasonal Depression via MAID Program
A grieving family has launched a scathing accusation against Canada, claiming the nation's laws effectively killed their disabled and vulnerable son who suffered from seasonal depression. Kiano Vafaeian, a 26-year-old man who was blind and had Type 1 diabetes, died in December through Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program. This program permits patients with grievous and irremediable medical conditions to request a lethal drug to end their lives.
Expansion of Eligibility and Family's Struggle
In 2021, the eligibility criteria for MAID were expanded to include individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities. There is also a pending parliamentary review that could potentially extend it to people with certain mental health conditions. Vafaeian's mental health struggles originated from a severe car accident when he was 17 years old. According to his mother, Margaret Marsilla from Ontario, his depression typically worsened during the winter months.
For several years, the family had successfully intervened to prevent their son from accessing the MAID program. However, last year, Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a MAID provider based in British Columbia, approved Vafaeian's death. The family only discovered this approval days after it was granted.
Allegations of Coaching and Legislative Efforts
Marsilla has alleged that Dr. Wiebe was coaching her son on how to qualify as a Track 2 patient. Track 2 patients are those whose natural deaths are not considered reasonably imminent. She told Fox News Digital, We believe that she was coaching him on how to deteriorate his body and what she can possibly approve him for and what she can get away with approving him for.
Since her son's death, Marsilla has been vigorously campaigning to reverse the Track 2 modification. She is also supporting Bill C-218, a legislative proposal aimed at restricting MAID for individuals whose sole condition is a mental illness.
Vafaeian's History and Previous Attempts
The car accident at age 17 disrupted Vafaeian's college plans, leading him to spend years moving between relatives' homes. In 2022, after losing vision in one eye, he became obsessed with the assisted-suicide program. Marsilla recalled, He kept on emphasizing about how he could get approved. We never thought there would be a chance that any doctor would approve a 22- or 23-year-old at that time for MAID because of diabetes or blindness.
That same year, Vafaeian attempted to die under the program for the first time after receiving approval. He had scheduled a specific time, date, and location for the procedure in Toronto. However, his mother accidentally found the appointment email and intervened by calling the doctor while posing as a woman inquiring about MAID. She also publicly opposed the procedure on social media.
Marsilla recorded the conversation with the doctor and shared it with a reporter. Due to the resulting outcry, the doctor postponed the procedure and ultimately decided not to proceed. Initially, Vafaeian was angry, feeling his right to choose death had been violated. However, Marsilla noted that he began to improve significantly the following year and even moved back in with the family in 2024.
Final Months and Tragic Outcome
Marsilla described how her son would try his best during periods of good mental health, but as winter approached, his condition would deteriorate, and he would start discussing MAID again. Despite this, their relationship was improving, and in September, she moved him into a fully furnished condo in Toronto with a live-in caregiver.
Vafaeian texted his mother, expressing excitement about a new chapter and plans to save money for travel together. By October, he had joined a gym and completed 30 personal training sessions. Tragically, his mother stated that something snapped in his head, and he abruptly abandoned these efforts.
On December 15, Vafaeian checked into a luxury resort in Mexico, posting photos with staff. Two nights later, he flew to Vancouver. Three days after that, he texted his mother to inform her that his physician-assisted suicide was scheduled for the next day. His death certificate lists the antecedent causes as blindness, severe peripheral neuropathy, and diabetes.
