Twenty-six years after surviving a brutal acid attack, María Consuelo Córdoba is once again sharing her story publicly—this time to explain why she is considering euthanasia amid ongoing physical and financial struggles.
In a recent interview with Colombian radio station Caracol Radio, Córdoba described the night her life changed forever. She had just returned home from a trip to the Chocó region with her then-husband when he burst into their house shouting that he had been robbed. He was holding what appeared to be a bottle of aguardiente, a popular Colombian anise-flavored liquor. In reality, the bottle contained acid.
As Córdoba stepped downstairs, her husband threw the liquid directly at her face. She recalled not immediately realizing what had happened, initially mistaking the burning sensation for the sting of alcohol before understanding the severity of the chemical burn. She ran toward a water basin on the first floor as her attacker fled the scene.
In the decades since, Córdoba has undergone 87 surgeries to treat the extensive damage to her face and body, enduring a recovery process marked by chronic pain, financial hardship, and difficulty accessing the resources she needs for treatment and daily living. Her case has drawn public attention before, including offers of assistance from private donors, yet she says the burden of ongoing care remains overwhelming.
To read Córdoba’s full account in her own words, check out the original report from El Tiempo.
Source: María Consuelo Córdoba, mujer que solicitó eutanasia, contó cómo ha sido su vida tras 26 años de ataque con ácido (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Matt Biddulph, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).