thebrittanyfund.org Brittany Maynard, who publicly shared her plans to end her life on her own terms thanks to Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, died peacefully Saturday. She was 29.
"Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more," she wrote on Facebook. "The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!"
Doctors diagnosed Maynard with stage four glioblastoma, leaving her with just six months to live as of last spring.
In a surprise move, Maynard made headlines after publicly announcing that she intended to die by taking a fatal dose of barbiturates, prescribed to her by a doctor, when her suffering became too great.
thebrittanyfund.org "My glioblastoma is going to kill me and that's out of my control," she recently told People. "Being able to go with dignity is less terrifying."
She added, "For people to argue against this choice for sick people really seems evil to me. They try to mix it up with suicide and that's really unfair, because there's not a single part of me that wants to die. But I am dying."
In recent months, Maynard has also been updating fans on her condition through her personal website.
In her most recent post, the newlywed shared the reasons why she went so public with her situation.
"I didn't launch this campaign because I wanted attention; in fact, it's hard for me to process it all," she wrote. "I did this because I want to see a world where everyone has access to death with dignity, as I have had. My journey is easier because of this choice."
Followers of Maynard's case know she lived life to the fullest until the very end.
thebrittanyfund.org On Oct. 24, Maynard and her family traveled to the Grand Canyon for one last trip together. Although she suffered a seizure during the trip, Maynard couldn't help but enjoy the "bucket list dream come true."
"The Canyon was breathtakingly beautiful," she wrote. "I was able to enjoy my time with the two things I love most: my family and nature."
She added, "My dream is that every terminally ill American has access to the choice to die on their own terms with dignity. Please take an active role to make this a reality. The person you're helping may be someone you love, or even in the future, yourself."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Maynard's family. To learn more about her story, visit her official website here.
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