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29-Year Old Brittany Maynard Ends Life as Planned
Brittany Maynard, the 29-year old who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, ended her life on November 1, as she had planned earlier.
Maynard was suffering from glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with terminal prognosis. The tumor in Maynard's head was reportedly causing seizures and aches in the neck which increased with frequency and severity. The tumor also caused speech and memory problems, which Maynard had expected to worsen. Her symptoms began appearing after her wedding in 2012 and she was diagnosed this spring, NBC News reported.
According to an obituary on the website Brittanyfund.org, "She moved to Oregon to pass away in a little yellow house she picked out in the beautiful city of Portland. Brittany chose to make a well thought out and informed choice to die with dignity in the face of such a terrible, painful, and incurable illness,"
Maynard spent the last weeks of her life advocating death with dignity, raising awareness about the need for legislation to allow terminally ill people to end their lives. In US, only five states including Oregon have such legislation, CNN reported.
"Oregon is a place that strives to protect patient rights and autonomy; she wished that her home State of California had also been able to provide terminally ill patients with the same choice," her obituary pointed out.
Fox News reported that Maynard spent her last days traveling extensively and being with her family and close friends. She chose November 1 to end her life with a concoction of sedatives and respiration depressants.
Though Maynard's decision kick started debate on the contentious issue, with many acknowledging her dedication to the cause of dying with dignity, some have criticized it.
Fox News reported that 750 people in Oregon have so far ended their lives, with only six aged under 35.
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