29 Year Old Woman Chooses To Die Two Days After Husband’s Birthday

Shortly after her wedding last year, Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with grade II Astrocytoma - a severe brain tumor.   She was told she had 10 years to live.  Shortly after that diagnosis she received worse news - doctors said her cancer had progressed to Glioblastoma multiforme, the deadliest form of brain cancer.  The 10 year sentence quickly shrank to only 14 months. The bad news kept coming as doctors told Brittany her death would likely be slow and painful as the tumor continued to grow.

That's when she decided to write her own ending.

In just a few weeks, on November 1st - 2 days after her husband's birthday - she will end her life using medication prescribed by her doctor.  The medication will give her a “peaceful and painless” death.

Brittany wants people to know that she's NOT committing suicide- “There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal,” Maynard told People.com. “I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there’s not. … Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”

Maynard’s family moved with her to Oregon earlier this year so that she could follow through with her decision.  Since 1997 Oregon’s “Death with Dignity Act” has allowed over 750 people to die using medication.

Brittany is using her remaining time on earth fighting for others to have the same options that she has.  “I hope for the sake of my fellow American citizens that I’ll never meet that this option is available to you,” she shared with CNN. “If you ever find yourself walking a mile in my shoes, I hope that you would at least be given the same choice and that no one tries to take it from you.”  “When my suffering becomes too great, I can say to all those I love, ‘I love you; come be by my side, and come say goodbye as I pass into whatever’s next.’ I will die upstairs in my bedroom with my husband, mother, stepfather and best friend by my side and pass peacefully. I can’t imagine trying to rob anyone else of that choice.”