She didn’t sell a single record, appear in a movie or TV reality show, or post selfies to Twitter. But Brittany Maynard is a superstar in my view. The 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer ended her own suffering on the weekend by taking a lethal dose of drugs. Day by day, she could feel herself slipping away and losing the basic ability to think and she refused to let the process drag out for up to six excruciating months.
Brittany loved her husband and family. She wanted a family of her own. She had hopes and aspirations and plans for the long life that she deserved. But persistent, powerful headaches turned out to be a death sentence she received at the beginning of this year. She talked to her doctors about what lay ahead and it was a pretty ugly demise. Painful. Undignified. Losing her functions one by one, sometimes in a day. Confusion, helplessness and agony awaited her so she said, no way. Her husband took a leave from his job and they moved from California to Oregon where the law wouldn’t prosecute her family for witnessing her final act.
She summed it up this way, to People Magazine: “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 my view, there is no good reason to force someone to endure an inhumane and painful exit from this world. None. There’s nothing brave about suffering. I’ve seen how cancer takes someone you love out and it’s worse than you can imagine. Brittany also spared the agony of watching her suffer. Before Brittany took her life into her own hands, she posted this on Facebook: “Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”
If you’re interested in learning about all of the living and giving Brittany packed into 29 short years, there’s a story on People’s website HERE.
I read that story and I absolutely agree with Brittany Maynard and you. Well said!
On our CHFI Facebook page, about 1% disagreed with her decision, citing religious reasons. I am amazed (and pleasantly surprised) with that reaction. Maybe if Ottawa would pay attention….