BASEL, SWITZERLAND: Model and actress Katerina Pavelek recently died through assisted suicide. The 41-year-old took the tough decision after being diagnosed with an incurable and chronic neurological illness.
Pavelek attributed the illness to the Covid-19 booster shot she received in 2022. She was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) before she decided on euthanasia. She publicly shared her intention to undergo assisted suicide in an Instagram post on June 1. She ended her life on June 17 at an assisted suicide clinic in Basel, Switzerland.
Who was Katerina Pavelek?
Katerina Pavelek was a 41-year-old model and actress who appeared in TV shows, including the 'The Mindy Project', and movies such as 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', 'Star Wars', 'The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time' and 'Fool's Paradise'. In her Instagram post, Pavelek claimed that the Covid booster shot she received in 2022 had an adverse impact on her health, ultimately leading to her diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). She believed that the vaccine was responsible for her deteriorating health.
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'The booster jab destroyed my life completely'
"I was diagnosed with [an] untreatable chronic neurological illness ME/CFS caused by booster jab on top of having suspected respiratory ALS," Pavalek wrote, adding, "This illness made me disabled, unable to work or have [a] social life and unable to enjoy life all together. Breathing have become more and more difficult and painful for me and my lung function has been declining. The booster jab I received over [a] year ago destroyed my health, my body and my life completely. There is no other way to end my suffering other than the decision I made."
Pavelek openly shared details about her health issues through multiple Instagram posts prior to her death. "No one tells you that you will grieve when you become disabled or chronically ill. Instead of a loved one dying, it’s like you’ve died. Your life, your hopes, your dreams, your plans… all forever changed," she wrote.
'I felt very uncomfortable about getting a booster'
Despite not receiving a formal Covid diagnosis, Pavelek believed she had contracted the virus in 2020 during the initial stages of the pandemic in the US. She experienced a month-long illness during that time, although she did not have any pre-existing health conditions. "I believed the vaccine was safe and effective. After the first and second Covid vaccines, I had no major side effects other than a few days of fatigue," she wrote.
"I felt very uncomfortable about getting a booster," Pavelek admitted. In February 2022, she received the Johnson & Johnson booster shot for work purposes, even though "ongoing conflicting messaging showed me that they were negligently lying." Within two days, "my heart started racing, and I began to feel intense chest pains," she said.
'I would have never gotten the vaccine'
In mid-March, Pavelek had to visit the emergency room due to her health issues, and she continued to experience similar issues, leading to several more ER visits. In the summer of 2022, she moved from Los Angeles to Slovakia, her home country, to be cared for by her mother. However, she encountered a three-month wait to see a cardiologist there. Despite receiving a stem-cell treatment in December 2022, it did not yield the desired results. Additionally, she had to face the disbelief and skepticism of some close friends who doubted the authenticity of her health issues. "If the media truly [reported] on what mattered to the general public, I would have never gotten the vaccine. We have been lied to, and profits are being put before the wellbeing of ordinary, good people," Pavelek concluded.
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