„Sie brauchen Ihr Geld sowieso nicht mehr“: Die Frau, die als erste in der Selbstmordkapsel sterben sollte, erhebt schwere Vorwürfe.

Article Translated:

>__An American woman sold all her belongings so that she could climb into the Sarco in Switzerland. She was supposed to be the ambassador of the controversial capsule. But then everything went wrong.__

Part 1

>On July 17, Jessica Campbell* turned 55. It was also supposed to be the day she died. The American woman was supposed to be the first user of the Sarco suicide capsule – an invention that has sparked a huge media response far beyond Switzerland’s borders in recent weeks. But things turned out differently, the premiere was postponed and is supposed to take place sometime this year in Switzerland. With a different patient.

>Now, in a letter that the NZZ has received, Campbell is making serious allegations against the Sarco inventor Philip Nitschke and his colleagues. It is the tragic story of a woman who had hoped for a dignified end. But who then became the plaything of various interests.  And in the end she felt exploited, humiliated and left alone.

>__Perfect for Sarco__

>Jessica Campbell comes from Alabama. She needs dialysis because of a kidney disease, and she also suffers from polyneuropathy, a disease of the peripheral nervous system. She is confined to a wheelchair because of her illnesses and is very overweight. She doesn’t want to live like this anymore. She tries to kill herself with painkillers, but that doesn’t work. Then in the summer of 2023 she comes across Exit International’s offer.

>Philip Nitschke’s organization is looking for people who want to commit suicide with the Sarco, and Campbell seems perfect for that. She can express herself well and is therefore suitable as an ambassador for the capsule: after her death, she will advertise in the media as a testimonial, according to the plan. The first “passenger” is immediately taken with the idea of ​​a quick and painless death in the capsule, looking up to the sky. She even gives the Sarco a corresponding nickname: Celeste.

>In May 2024, the plans for the first Sarco mission in Switzerland became more concrete, and Nitschke also announced this to the members of Exit International. Campbell sold almost everything she owned and flew to Europe with $40,000 in her account. In the Netherlands, she was met by Exit International people who then accompanied her to Switzerland.

>Her supervisor was the euthanasia activist Peter,* who became a close friend. But at the end of May, Peter suddenly disappeared. Fiona Stewart, the business and life partner of Sarco mastermind Nitschke, told her that Peter had been overworked and needed a break. But that is not true, as the NZZ knows from a reliable source: He had fallen out with Nitschke and Stewart. Jessica Campbell also suspected this. And for the first time, she felt deceived and betrayed.

>__7000 dollars for five hotel nights__

>The bad experiences she had with the Sarco people in the following weeks can be divided into two categories: financial exploitation and media stress.

>Stewart booked her a hotel in Lucerne that cost over 7000 dollars for five nights, writes Campbell. “I was completely taken by surprise.” As a simple southern “girl” she felt completely out of place in the luxury accommodation. She was soon assigned a new supervisor, Florian Willet. He was previously a media spokesperson for Dignitas Germany and now, together with Fiona Stewart, runs the Swiss Exit International branch called The Last Resort, which is supposed to organize the Sarco premiere.

>Stewart booked her a hotel in Lucerne that cost over 7000 dollars for five nights, writes Campbell. “I was completely taken by surprise.” As a simple southern “girl” she felt completely out of place in the luxury accommodation.  She was soon assigned a new supervisor, Florian Willet. He was previously the media spokesperson for Dignitas Germany and now runs the Swiss Exit International branch called The Last Resort, together with Fiona Stewart, which is to organize the Sarco premiere.

>Willet and Stewart insisted on charging their own expenses – groceries, restaurant bills, tickets, even toys for Stewart’s dog – to her credit card, writes Campbell. Stewart justified this by saying: “You’re going to die soon anyway, so you don’t need your money anymore.”