Steroids completely took control of Éric Thibodeau’s life before winning, according to his wife, who had to move a month before his death for his own safety.
“The first 12 hours after getting shot, I couldn’t approach him. He almost became the Hulk. I have already seen him break down a door frame because he got caught in it, ”says Roxane Chenier.
Her husband of recent years, Éric Thibodeau, had started using steroids long before they met. According to him, the 45-year-old wanted to become massive and command respect after being bullied in his youth.
But in the final weeks of 2020, his mood swings and aggressiveness had become unsustainable. Ms. Chenier therefore made the decision to leave their Gatineau accommodation in November.
“I loved him with all my heart, but the environment was no longer safe for me and my children,” she explains, choking back a sob.
DEATH IN THE SHOWER
The following January 3, an employee of the building where Éric Thibodeau lived knocked on his door, due to a lack of hot water in the building. Getting no response and seeing that the door was not locked, the individual then entered to check if everything was okay.
It was then that he discovered the lifeless 40-year-old in his shower, the water still running over his body. Emergency services were called, but the man was dead.
According to coroner Pierre Bourassa, Mr. Thibodeau would have died the morning before, of a cardiac arrhythmia, which would explain the lack of hot water in the building.
Already suffering from cardiomegaly – which increases the risk of a cardiac event – attributed to his use of steroids, a methamphetamine poisoning would have given the deathblow.
THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC
“If I had known [that he would die of it], I would have done more to prevent him from rotting his life, loose Roxane Chenier. He said it was his last bottle…”
Before the pandemic, she had managed to convince him to stop using steroids by making him realize the costs that it represented. He was paying $400 per bottle, in addition to other related products to stop side effects.
But with COVID-19 and the closing of gyms, people started to think he had lost some mass. And he now had money to buy his substances, thanks to the PCU.
“It’s the worst thing that could happen,” sighs Ms. Chenier.
