Nancy Verhelst was the girl nobody wanted.

She was given the storage room above the garage as a bedroom. Her mother told her she didn't want her: "If only you had been a boy."

In 2009, Verhelst, from Belgium, started hormone therapy to become a man. She had a mastectomy and last year underwent surgery to construct a penis.

But the new Verhelst, now named Nathan, didn't like what he saw in the mirror. His body was rejecting the sex change.

"None of these operations worked as desired," he said. "I was ready to celebrate my new birth, but when I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. My new breasts did not match my expectations and my new penis had symptoms of rejection. I do not want to be a monster."

Verhelst, 44, could not live with his new body and chose to end his life. On Monday, he was legally killed on the grounds of "unbearable psychological suffering".

The man who carried out the lethal injection was Professor Wim Distelmans, who made headlines last year when he ended the lives of congenitally deaf twins who were going blind.

Verhelst explained his decision to a newspaper just hours before his death. "While my brothers were celebrated, I got a storage room above the garage as a bedroom. 'If only you had been a boy', my mother complained. I was tolerated, nothing more," he told Het Laatste Nieuws.

He informed his family of his decision to die in a letter. "I had happy times, but the balance is on the wrong side," he wrote.

Euthanasia is legal in Belgium if certain conditions are met: if those wish to die have made their wishes clear and a doctor judges that they are suffering unbearable pain.

According to official figures, there were 1432 deaths by medical euthanasia in Belgium last year, up on 1133 the year before.

Where can I get support and help from?

Below is a list of some of the services available which offer support, information and help. All services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless otherwise specified.

Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland

Depression Helpline (8 am to 12 midnight) - 0800 111 757

Healthline - 0800 611 116

Kidsline (aimed at children up to 14 years of age; 4 pm to 6 pm weekdays) - 0800 54 37 54 (0800 kidsline)

Samaritans - 0800 726 666 (for callers from the Lower North Island, Christchurch and West Coast) or 0800 211 211 / (04) 473 9739 (for callers from all other regions)

Suicide Crisis Helpline (aimed at those in distress, or those who are concerned about the wellbeing of someone else; 12 noon to 12 midnight) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand - www.spinz.org.nz

Youthline - 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz

What's Up (for 5-18 year olds; 1 pm to 11 pm) - 0800 942 8787

www.depression.org.nz

www.thelowdown.co.nz - visit the website, email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626 (emails and text messages will be responded to between 12 noon and 12 midnight).