Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old terminally ill American woman suffering from brain cancer, has posted a video on her website announcing that she has decided not to die on Nov. 1.
In early January of this year, Brittany was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. In April, Brittany's doctors informed that her cancer has elevated to grade 4 glioblastoma and she only had six months or less to live. She then moved from the state of California to Oregon to take advantage of Oregon's Death with Dignity Law, revealing that it was the best option for her and her family. Brittany did not want to die a slow and painful death, she also did not want her family to see her suffer and chosen Nov. 1 this year as her date of death.
Oregon's Death with Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted dying, which is also referred as physician-assisted suicide. Oregon is one of only five states in the U.S. to allow terminally ill people to opt dying with the help of high dosage of medicines.
However, Brittany has announced in a latest video that she wants to fight the disease longer and wants to live more.
"So if Nov. 2 comes along and I've passed, I hope my family is still proud of me and the choices I've made, but if Nov. 2 comes along and I'm still alive, I know that we'll just still be moving forward as a family out of love for each other and that decision will come later," says Brittany in her latest video release.
She says that she feels good and has a lot of joy. She takes a walk with her husband, which brings her immense joy. She smiles and laughs with her family and does not think it's the right time to die. However, she also realizes that the day when she dies will eventually come as she also feels sicker as days pass. Brittany is suffering from seizures regularly and she is sometimes unable to speak following a seizure.
Brittany has started a debate in the country about assisted death. Some people believe that terminally ill patients should have access to assisted death; however, some disagree that a person should end their life to avoid pain.
Check out the latest video released by Brittany on her website.
