My parents chose to die together and I was left to grieve alone

Some people might find this article upsetting.

Early one morning in June 2024, Bas pulled up next to his parents' campervan, parked on a sunny marina in the north of the Netherlands.

His father and mother, Jan and Els, had spent most of their married life on water. Now in their 70s, they could no longer manage a houseboat. Their campervan, positioned close to the yachts and dinghies, was the next best thing.

Jan and Els got into their son's car. Bas started the engine. This would be the final time he drove his parents anywhere. For Jan and Els, this journey - to the local hospice - would be their last.

At 10:30 that morning they would be administered lethal medication by doctors and die together in what is known in the Netherlands as duo-euthanasia. It's legal and it's rare, but every year more Dutch people choose to end their lives this way.

Three days before their fatal appointment at the hospice, Jan and Els gave an interview to the BBC in their campervan. Jan was living with continual pain, the legacy of years hauling cargo on the Netherlands' inland waterways. Els had been diagnosed with dementia. Their story was picked up and commented on around the world.

Now, more than two years on, the couple's only child describes trying to persuade his mother and father to delay their deaths while supporting their decision to stop living. He reveals the emotional burden his parents' decision placed on him and the profound loneliness that followed.

Copyright for this text belongs to BBC.