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Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer who had initially declared her intention to end her life on Nov. 1, will not be dying this week.
‘I still feel good enough and I still have enough joy and I still laugh and smile with my family and friends enough that it doesn’t seem like the right time right now,’ she said.
Last week, Maynard had crossed off the last item on her bucket list after she and her family visited the Grand Canyon.
Doctors have told Maynard that her death will be slow and painful.
In January, she was diagnosed with grade II astrocytoma. Subsequent scans showed the tumor had progressed into glioblastoma multiforme, the deadliest form of cancer with an average life expectancy of 14 months.
In her most recent note on her website she writes: “The response from you all has surpassed our wildest expectations. On behalf of my family, thank you for the outpouring of love and support.
This journey has been challenging, to say the least. We’ve uprooted our lives. I take prescription drugs to reduce the swelling in my brain, that have caused my entire body to swell instead. Dan and I have given up our dreams of having a family. My mother is soon to lose her only child. We can all agree that no parent should bury their child.
I didn’t launch this campaign because I wanted attention; in fact, it’s hard for me to process it all. 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.
I am so lucky to have known the love of an amazing husband (my husband Dan is a hero), a loving, caring mother, and an incredible group of friends and extended family. As my time draws closer, I hope you will all take up my request to carry on this work, and support them as they carry on my legacy. I’m so grateful to you all.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
