My right to death by dignity at 29

Terminally Ill 29-Year-Old
Woman: Why I'm Choosing
to Die on My Own Terms
Brittany Maynard with her Great Dane, Charlie
COURTESY DAN DIAZ
BY NICOLE WEISENSEE EGAN
For the past 29 years, Brittany Maynard has lived a
fearless life – running half marathons, traveling
through Southeast Asia for a year and even
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
So, it's no surprise she is facing her death the
same way.
On Monday, Maynard will launch an online video
campaign with the nonprofit Compassion &
Choices , an end-of-life choice advocacy
organization, to fight for expanding death-with-
dignity laws nationwide.
And on Nov. 1, Maynard, who in April was given
six months to live, intends to end her own life with
medication prescribed to her by her doctor – and
she wants to make it clear it is NOT suicide.
"There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or
that wants to die," she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive
interview. "I want to live. I wish there was a cure
for my disease but there's not."
Maynard has a stage 4 glioblastoma, a malignant
brain tumor.
"My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that's out
of my control," she says. "I've discussed with
many experts how I would die from it, and it's a
terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose
to go with dignity is less terrifying."
The campaign's six-minute video includes
interviews with Brittany as well as her mother,
Debbie Ziegler, and husband, Dan Diaz, 42.
"My entire family has gone through a cycle of
devastation," she says. "I'm an only child – this is
going to make tears come to my eyes. For my
mother, it's really difficult, and for my husband as
well, but they've all supported me because they've
stood in hospital rooms and heard what would
happen to me."
Maynard was a newlywed when she started having
debilitating headaches last January. That's when
she learned she had brain cancer.
"My husband and I were actively trying for a
family, which is heartbreaking for us," she says in
the video.
Three months later, after undergoing surgery, she
found out the tumor had grown even larger and
was told she had, at best, six months to live.
After researching all her options after her
diagnosis, Maynard, who was living in San
Francisco at the time, decided aid in dying was her
best option.
Her entire family moved with her to Portland earlier
this year so she could have access to Oregon's
Death with Dignity Act , which has been in place
since late 1997. Since then, 1,173 people have had
prescriptions written under the act, and 752 have
used them to die.
Four other states – Washington, Montana, Vermont
and New Mexico – have authorized aid in dying.
Compassion & Choices has campaigns in place in
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts
and New Jersey.
In mid-October, Maynard will videotape testimony
to be played for California lawmakers and voters at
the appropriate time.
"Right now it's a choice that's only available to
some Americans, which is really unethical," she
says.
"The amount of sacrifice and change my family had
to go through in order to get me to legal access to
death with dignity – changing our residency,
establishing a team of doctors, having a place to
live – was profound," she says.
"There's tons of Americans who don’t have time or
the ability or finances," she says, "and I don't think
that's right or fair."
This is why she's using the precious time she has
left to advocate for everyone to have the same
choice she does.
"I believe this choice is ethical, and what makes it
ethical is it is a choice," she says. "The patient can
change their mind right up to the last minute. I feel
very protected here in Oregon."
But Maynard doesn't think she will change her
mind. The date she picked was carefully chosen.
"I really wanted to celebrate my husband's
birthday, which is October 30," she says. "I'm
getting sicker, dealing with more pain and seizures
and difficulties so I just selected it."
Maynard says her exhaustion has "increased a lot"
recently.
"I still get out and take a walk with my family
everyday," she says. "I try not to hold onto the
dogs anymore because the past few weeks I've
fallen a few times."
Her pain has increased, too, but so far she's been
managing it with medications from her doctors.
"I was in the hospital two weeks ago after two
seizures," she says. "Immediately after, I lost my
ability to speak for a few hours. So it's scary, very
frightening."
Which is why she knows she's making the right
decision.
When Maynard passes on Nov. 1, she will do so in
the bedroom she shares with her husband. By her
side will be her mother, stepfather, husband and
best friend (who is also a physician).
"I'm dying, but I'm choosing to suffer less," she
says, "to put myself through less physical and
emotional pain and my family as well.