Brittany Maynard dies peacefully in her Oregon home on Saturday, November 1. She was 29 years old.
Maynard first captured the attention of many when she published through an op-ed her decision to die with dignity.
On January 2014, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, from which she received treatment and given at least 10 years to live. However, by spring, her prognosis turned for the worse, when her stage II brain cancer became terminal. Her doctors gave her only 6 months to live.
Although she considered many options to deal with her disease, she found Oregon's controversial Dying with Dignity Act to be the most ideal for her.
Thus, together with her family, she moved from California to Oregon, bought a new home, changed voter's registration, and obtained a new driver's license, among others. Her husband also took a leave from work to be with her.
According to the state law, with the help of her physician, she can take a special medication that can aid in the dying process. She carried it ever since but decided to take it on Saturday.
In one of her recent videos, Maynard expressed the possibility of postponing her scheduled death. However, according to Compassion and Choices spokesperson Sean Crowley, her symptoms grew more severe each day, including those that are similar to having a stroke. Thus, Maynard opted to stick to her chosen date.
About a week before her death, Maynard and her family took a trip to Grand Canyon as part of her last wish in her bucket list.
With her death, she left behind her husband, Daniel, and her parents, Deborah Ziegler, her mother, and Gary Holmes, stepfather, along with her two dogs and a growing number of friends who supported her decision including those who are also championing dying with dignity in other states.
She left a final message in her Facebook while her website The Brittany Maynard Fund published her obituary.
