For the past 29 years, Brittany Maynard has lived a fearless life – running half marathons, traveling through Southeast Asia for a year and even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

So, it's no surprise she is facing her death the same way.

On Monday, Maynard will launch an online video campaign with the nonprofit Compassion & Choices, an end-of-life choice advocacy organization, to fight for expanding death-with-dignity laws nationwide.

And on Nov. 1, Maynard, who in April was given six months to live, intends to end her own life with medication prescribed to her by her doctor – and she wants to make it clear it is NOT suicide.

"There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die," she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. "I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there's not."

Maynard has a stage 4 glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor.

"My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that's out of my control," she says. "I've discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it's a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying."

The campaign's six-minute video includes interviews with Brittany as well as her mother, Debbie Ziegler, and husband, Dan Diaz, 42.

"My entire family has gone through a cycle of devastation," she says. "I'm an only child – this is going to make tears come to my eyes. For my mother, it's really difficult, and for my husband as well, but they've all supported me because they've stood in hospital rooms and heard what would happen to me."

Maynard was a newlywed when she started having debilitating headaches last January. That's when she learned she had brain cancer.

"My husband and I were actively trying for a family, which is heartbreaking for us," she says in the video.

Three months later, after undergoing surgery, she found out the tumor had grown even larger and was told she had, at best, six months to live.

After researching all her options after her diagnosis, Maynard, who was living in San Francisco at the time, decided aid in dying was her best option.










http://www.people.com/article/Brittany- ... on-choices

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

Well, that's admirable and all to go out on your own terms rather than dying naturally of brain cancer, which sounds horrifying, but what she's doing is obviously suicide.

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She's going to die either way, the chemo/meds will probably cut the remaining useable time she has left in half so why not go out on your own terms.

I don't know if I'm comfortable calling this suicide.

EDIT: Actuallu., I'm comfortable with calling it suicide because it's not.

Vanity projects from beginning to end.

Thanks for closing down my streets.

What is so fearless about running marathons or traveling in southeast asia. It wasn't like she was slugging it out with Charley

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Seems like something that she should be dealing with in private. Yeah, I understand the law and she thinks it's not right, but if you want to off yourself, plenty of peaceful ways to do so in the privacy of your own home.

Or does everyone need a 'cause' with a color, a bangle/bracelet, fundraiser, awareness day.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

speaking of vanity...

I believe in "death with dignity" as kind of an abstract concept, but I have this feeling there's never going to be anything dignified about death no matter how much we want there to be. Euthanasia drugs certainly don't seem very dignified when we use them in capital punishment -- death by IV drip, like going under for surgery that never happens. I just want to quote the always eloquent Yoni Wolf:



Anyway, she should be allowed to end her life, but let's not say it isn't what it is. What else do you put on the death certificate? "Terminated terminal cancer"?

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Egg on my face, I misread the article in a rush. Yeah, not wanting to go through chemo isn't suicide, but ending your life via your own free will is suicide. Within the context it isn't necessarily having a bad day, coming home and blowing your brains out, eating pills, drinking gasoline or reading an entire Sini post in one sitting but it's suicide.

Suicide and Homicide are terms for a death certificate to be sure. They are entered on it for a variety of reasons. Actually I think a death penalty will be listed as homicide? The chick wants to die fine. What is the problem? She moved to a state where she can. Is it any different than any of the other social shit we volley back and forth here?

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Elections have consequences.

Make no mistake, this is a story because the subject is a pretty young white woman with the disposable income to globe-trot. She's neither the first nor last terminally person to end his or her life pursuant to Oregon's euthanasia laws, but she's certainly among the more photogenic and bourgeois.

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Blaming the whiteys

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Elections have consequences.

obviously...when i first heard about the story i thought "with a name like that..." then saw the picture and said..."yup."

shes hot. if i had this and looked like her i would just spend the last year fucking as much and many people as i could. get rich off it. give the money to your family. do some good with your life

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

My take on this is she has no children to leave money to, (guessing a suicide negates life insurance payout, I could be wrong), and
her husband is apparently supportive and on board with her decision. Call it what you want, I call it going out on your own terms, and
I'm not applauding it, but I'm not judging, or rejecting it either. If I was faced with that prognosis, I might say fuck the system, and go out
Leaving Las Vegas way. The whole story is just sad.

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

I probably would too. I've thrown around ending it all at age 30 if I'm just severely unhappy with my life and certain that it's not going to be what I want it to be, and I don't even have a malignant tumor in my brain. I don't blame people one bit for going out on their own terms. It's not for me to say whether they have to be here or not.

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Gotta be tough, tho', for the husband. I read that she plans to do it 2 days after his birthday.
Not a situation I'd wish on most people.

P.s., CH, You're under 30?

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

People who voluntarily transitioned in the book rec'd various benefits-- (iirc) including college tuition for children/grandchildren, tax advantaged passing of estates and i believe a lump sum payment to remaining heirs. Something like that. interesting that Rahm's brother's article hits and then we get this terminal blogger further fomenting the issue.

Sure it is. People love you. Even if you are unhappy at that place in time,it's a moment. It can always get better. Not giving them the chance is one of the worst things you can do. At least let them exhaust all possibilities. Don't do it. I don't know if you will regret it but they will and in ways you can't imagine.

I'd miss you.

what the heck, Spaulding. I was gonna get a stereo out of the deal


If you want to engage in some suicide-related naval gazing, this may or may not be on netflilx/hulu/amazon prime or a torrent feed:

youtube has the entire film:

http://youtu.be/7_YDxwUuJTo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_of_Cherry

Well if you will get a stereo then it's all good. Nevermind.

dang, the number of suicides/suicide rate has shot up in recent years.

Going from 28K in 2007 to 38K in 2010:



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/healt ... in-us.html

Life after 30 isn't so bad. Wait until you are 40.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I don't know if I would call it suicide or not.

Given her situation, I don't really have an issue with what she has chosen to do.

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im sure she will sleep better at night knowing you approve

For the rest of the month, she will.

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