After stepping into the public spotlight recently to speak out for the controversial right-to-die movement, terminally ill cancer patient Brittany Maynard ended her own life on Saturday, Nov. 1, at her home in Portland, Oregon. Maynard was 29 at the time of her death.
In the obituary posted on her website, it is noted that Maynard "left this world with zero regrets on time spent, places been or people she loved in her 29 years."
Her final message reads: "It is people who pause to appreciate life and give thanks who are the happiest. If we change out thoughts, we change our world! Love and peace to you all."
“Brittany has died, but her love of life and nature, her passion and spirit endure,” Compassion & Choices President Barbara Coombs Lee said in a statement. “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.”
Maynard's story went viral in mid-October when she appeared on The Meredith Vieira Show to discuss her controversial decision to end her own life after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma cancer. Along with her husband Dan Diaz, Maynard moved to Oregon because the state has the "Death With Dignity" law, which allows those with a terminal illness to end their own lives.
"It's not suicide," she said at the time. "It's meant to relieve the suffering."
From the start, Maynard had planned to end her life with her loved ones by her side on Nov. 1, but on Oct. 29, she posted a new video to her site noting, "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. But, it will come because I feel myself getting sicker. It's happening each week."
