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29-year-old cancer patient Brittany Maynard seeks to control her own death

Posted at 3:45 PM, Oct 07, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-07 21:52:17-04

A 29-year-old woman says she plans to end her life on Nov. 1, two days after her husband's birthday.

After years of debilitating headaches, Brittany Maynard was diagnosed in January with brain cancer. She was told she had three to 10 years to live.

"I have to tell you," she says in a video posted online, "when you’re 29 years old, being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like being told you’re going to die tomorrow."

But 70 days after surgery, she went in for a post-op appointment and was told the cancer was more aggressive.

She went from having years to live, to six months.

"The thoughts that go through your mind when you have so little time is everything you need to say to everyone you love," Maynard said.

Maynard and her family searched for a miracle, but they didn't find it.

Maynard said she decided to move from California to Oregon -- a state with a death-with-dignity law. There, she was given a prescription to end her life, if she chooses to.

"I don't wake up everyday and look at it," Maynard said. "It's in a safe spot. I know that it's there when I need it. I plan to be surrounded by my immediate family."

"I don't have to die the way that it's been described to me in the way my brain tumor would take me on its own," Maynard said.

Maynard says she's traveling and spending time with friends and family in the time she has left

"I hope to enjoy however many days I have left on this beautiful earth," Maynard said. "I hope to pass in peace."

Maynard has made a video about her plans in hopes it will help expand the death with dignity law. Currently, only five states allow it.

 

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