29-year-old Brittany Maynard, the Oregon woman who became a poster child for the death-with-dignity movement following her terminal cancer diagnosis, put an end to her life on November 1 as she had planned. Her decision for euthanasia sparked national and international debate. Ms. Maynard had stage four malignant brain tumour and had been told that she only had six months to live.
Following her diagnosis, Ms. Maynard and her husband Daniel Diaz moved from San Francisco, California, to Oregon as it was one of the five states in the U.S. that have a “death with dignity” law that legalizes physician-assisted dying. She died on Saturday as planned. Compassion and Choices, an end-of-life choice advocacy group, say that she passed peacefully in her bed surrounded by close family and loved ones.
She released a video message earlier thisyear stating that she planned to end her life jsut before her 30th birthday. “My glioblastoma is going to kill me that that’s out of my control,” she said. “Being able to go with dignity is less terrifying.”
Her condition had deteriorated over the last few weeks of her life. She wrote a message on Saturday: “Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness… the world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers… goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”
Her death comes after a brief hesitation on Thursday where she released a video in which she stated an intent to delay the self-imposed deadline because she was still experiencing “enough joy” and desire to live. “I still feel good enough, and I still have enough joy, and I still laugh and smile with my family and friends enough that it doesn’t seem like the right time right now. But it will come, because I feel myself getting sicker. It’s happening its week,” she said.
She had completed a “bucket list” of things to do before she died and her last trip was to the Grand Canyon at the end of last month.
