Ramon Sampedro was a Spanish man born on January 5, 1943, in Pontevedra, Galicia. He became a quadriplegic after a diving accident at the age of 25, which left him unable to move from the neck down. Sampedro spent nearly 30 years in this condition, advocating for the right to die with dignity. His struggle for euthanasia gained international attention, particularly after his story was depicted in the film The Sea Inside (2004), which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Sampedro passed away on January 12, 1998, after ending his life through assisted suicide.