Noa Pothoven died at home saying she could no longer live with the trauma of being raped (Picture: noamaestro/Instagram)

A 17-year-old girl who was raped as a young child has died at home.

Noa Pothoven said her ‘suffering was unbearable’ and died last Sunday in a hospital bed in her living room in Arnhem, Netherlands.

Noa penned an autobiography called ‘Winning or Learning’ about her battles with mental illness after reportedly being molested and raped at a young age.

As a result she suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anorexia.


Noa said she wanted her book to help vulnerable youngsters who struggle with life, saying that the Netherlands does not have specialised institutions or clinics where teens can go for psychological or physical aid.

Noa Pothoven wrote a book about her struggle entitled ‘Winning or Learning’ (Picture: noamaestro/Instagram)

In a social media post one day before her death, Noa made her decision public.



She wrote: ‘I deliberated for quite a while whether or not I should share this, but decided to do it anyway.

‘Maybe this comes as a surprise to some, given my posts about hospitalisation, but my plan has been there for a long time and is not impulsive.

‘I will get straight to the point: within a maximum of 10 days I will die.

‘After years of battling and fighting, I am drained. I have quit eating and drinking for a while now, and after many discussions and evaluations, it was decided to let me go because my suffering is unbearable.’

Noa stopped eating food and drinking, and refused medical treatment with the understanding of her parents and doctors.

She had previously been force fed but under Dutch law she used her right to stop eating and drinking.

Noa Pothoven died in a hospital bed at home (Picture: noamaestro/Instagram)

Noa had also requested the assitance of a euthanasia clinic in The Hague in 2018, but they refused.

She wrote at the time: ‘They think I’m too young to die. They think I should complete the trauma treatment and that my brain must first be fully grown. That lasts until you are 21.

‘I’m devastated because I can’t wait that long anymore.’

Noa added that she never felt as though she was ‘alive’, rather surviving, writing: ‘I breathe, but I no longer live.’

According to Dutch law, euthanasia is legal as long as it is performed in accordance with the strict standards described in the ‘Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act’.

It became law in 2002.

Children as young as 12 can be granted euthanasia if they desire, but only after a doctor concludes that the patient’s suffering is unbearable with no clear end in sight.

In 2017, some 6,585 people chose euthanasia to end their own lives in the Netherlands, about 4.4 per cent of the total number of more than 150,000 registered deaths in the country, according to the Regional Euthanasia Review Committee which strictly monitors all cases.

Euthanasia is also legal in some US states, Canada and Belgium.

Need support? Contact the Samaritans For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.