María Consuelo Córdoba arrived in Bogotá in 2000 looking for work. She never imagined that decision would end in tragedy: her former partner threw sulfuric acid in her face on June 24, 2001.
Since then, 26 years and 87 surgeries have passed. She needs two plastic tubes to breathe and wears a homemade mask to shield herself from the sun and other people’s stares. She suffers from cerebral toxoplasmosis and now survives on handouts, traveling around Bogotá on TransMilenio to scrape together some money.
In 2017, she had everything ready for euthanasia, but a meeting with Pope Francis made her change her mind: he asked her to endure, saying that help would come. Nine years later, María Consuelo says that help never came, and she has once again publicly requested access to the procedure.
After her case gained attention, EPS Capital Salud clarified that María Consuelo has had authorization for euthanasia for four years. The entity specified that the procedure does not depend on any pending paperwork, but rather on her free and autonomous decision. The insurer also stated that it contacted her to accompany her in her final decision with respect, humanity, and dignity.