Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Terminally ill US woman takes her own life after promising to do so


A 2014 article;

Terminally ill US woman Brittany Maynard takes her own life after promising to do so in viral video

Updated
An American woman with terminal cancer has taken her own life after promising to do so in a video that went viral.
Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old with brain cancer, made headlines earlier this month when a video of her saying she would take her own life was seen by millions of web users.
A spokesman for Compassion & Choices - an end-of-life activist group that supported Ms Maynard - said she died peacefully in her home on November 1.
Earlier this year Ms Maynard was given six months to live and told her death would be painful because of the aggressive nature of her cancer.
"Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love," she said in her final message, circulated widely on social media.
"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.
"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!"
Compassion & Choices president Barbara Coombs Lee paid tribute to Ms Maynard.
"Brittany has died, but her love of life and nature, her passion and spirit endure," she said.
"In Brittany's memory, do what matters most.
"And tell those you love how much they matter to you.
"We will work to carry on her legacy of bringing end-of-life choice to all Americans."

Couple moved to US state with 'right-to-die' law

Ms Maynard had been trying for a first child with her husband Dan Diaz at the time of her diagnosis, but gave up due to her disease.
She had just married when she began having severe headaches.
She and her husband moved home from California to Oregon, one of a handful of US states with a "right-to-die" law.
On Thursday, she released a new video in which she said she might temporarily delay her appointment with a self-administered cocktail of potentially deadly drugs.
But the delay was a short one.
Her story made headlines around the world and she was featured on the cover of last week's People magazine in the United States.
Ms Maynard had recently been working to tick off items on a "bucket list" of what she wanted to do before she died.
This included a trip to the Grand Canyon last week.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Beyond Blue.
AFP

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