Brain cancer sufferer ‘still determined to take own life’

A 29-year-old terminally ill woman who previously said she planned to take her own life on November 1 under Oregon’s death-with-dignity law has said she hasn’t decided yet when she’ll end her life, but it’s a decision she’s still determined to make.

Maynard, who has brain cancer, previously said she planned to end her life tomorrow.

Maynard moved to Oregon from Northern California because Oregon allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with lethal medications prescribed by a doctor.

More than 750 people in Oregon used the law to die as of December 31, 2013. The median age of the deceased was 71.

Maynard has become an advocate for a group that seeks to expand death-with-dignity laws around the nation.

“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,” Maynard said in a new video. “But it will come, because I feel myself getting sicker. It’s happening each week.”

Maynard says she has stage IV glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of terminal brain cancer. In April, she says, doctors gave her six months to live.

A video explaining her choice has garnered more than 8.8m views on YouTube. And she’s become a prominent spokeswoman for the “death with dignity” movement, which advocates that terminally ill patients be allowed to receive medication that will let them die on their own terms. She’s also become a target for criticism from people who oppose that approach.

Maynard says her health has been worsening. She describes a recent “terrifying” day when she had two seizures and was unable to say her husband’s name.