The Story of Brittany Maynard

Brittany Maynard

What would you do if you were diagnosed with cancer? To have the world crash down right on top of you. To have your freedom ripped away from you as if it was easy as tearing a sheet of paper. To have that shocking reality you were going to die. To just simply have the idea of your friends and family mourning over your own grave is enough to make anyone fall into a helpless ball of loneliness and depression. Welcome to the fate of Brittany Maynard. This young, brave woman had her family, friends, and health brutally ripped away from her; she was left with absolutely nothing but the harsh reality of death quickly approaching. Brittany Maynard was age 29 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme (brain cancer) and died only months later, not even a month before her birthday where she would have turned exactly 30 years old ("Brittany Maynard"; Crandell). But even when Maynard was faced with this tragic news, she made the most of what she had left by valiantly fighting for the death with dignity act instead of feeling sorry for herself, forever changing the country's point of view of death itself.

It was the first day of a new year when Maynard discovered she had a cancerous brain tumor. She had went through countless hospital visits and surgeries to prevent the cancer from worsening. Originally, it was predicted she had only a few years left to live. But after attempting to remove the tumor, the little bastard came back even worse. Then, what was once a few years left of life was reduced greatly to a few meager months with no cure to hope for (Maynard). Gone was the notion of ever being a mother. Gone was the notion of a long life with her loving friends and husband. The thought of death alone can scare anyone, but knowing the time at which a being shall perish is even more dreadful. Especially when the time you have left has been shortened to almost nothing. Even though there was not a cure, there were still medications Maynard could take. But as Maynard has stated so nobally: "My quality of life, as I knew it, would be gone... and the recommended treatments would have destroyed the time I had left" (Maynard). Not only that, but the time she would have stayed in the hospital would very possibly be rife with months of misery and pain. "And my family would have had to watch that" (Maynard). So, instead of taking medications to stall the cancer and stay in a hospital for possible months on end, Maynard decided to move to Oregon from California and was then a part of "death with dignity", which would soon awaken in this country (Maynard). Aimed with potent drugs and the desire to die with a shred of dignity, Maynard ended her own life Nov. 1 only after traveling to some of the most wonderous spots in the world (Crandell). When life threw her pain, she extracted only its beauty.

Even though Maynard made the decision to die freely and peacefully for a noble cause to protect the ones who love her, people still opposed the idea of "death with dignity." Most religious groups labeled her decision a wrong ("Brittany Maynard"). Religious individuals such as Tippetts used religious quotes in a letter from the bible to persuade Maynard to turn back on her freedom she only achieved by "death with dignity." Tippetts' letter stated that "giving and taking life belongs to God, not to us. And the suffering of our final days is not meaningless" (Tippetts). "Suffering prepares believers for an "eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). However, even after the colossal arguments and protests from the public, Maynard's decision never wavered a second. Almost all of Maynard's freedom has been taken away from her ever since she has been diagnosed with this deadly disease. The only freedom she had left to cling to was the "death with dignity." With that, she could at least choose when and where to rest in peace, and, at the same time, relieve the pain that her loved ones would have to suffer when the life slowly drains from her. Maynard defended her choice by expressing, "I've had the medication for weeks. I am not suicidal. If I were, I would have consumed that medication long ago. I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms" (qtd. in Griggs). So, with this resolve, Maynard stood her ground. "Maynard defended her right to die with dignity" ("Brittany Maynard"). And who the heck is the public to decide the fate of how Maynard should rule her own life? And as Maynard has stated: "I would not tell anyone else that he or she should choose death with dignity. My question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don't deserve this choice? That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?" (qtd. in "Brittany Maynard").

Maynard's choice in dying made a significant impact on the thought process of countless civilians across the country. Because of how young Maynard was when she made this choice, her story made the news everywhere. At the time, there were only a few states that would even allow "death with dignity." Which is why Maynard moved to Oregon in the first place because Oregon was one of the only states that can prescribe medicine that can purposefully take the life of another. However in today's time, there are now 5 states that have passed the legislation of "death with dignity", including the state of California where she was from ("Brittany Maynard"). Not only that but "In recent days the center has received calls from around the country,... including from people with illnesses who want to move to Oregon" (Griggs). In a way, it's as if Maynard's way of freedom and dignity has inspired many people to have a whole new outlook on life.

People everywhere start to understand Maynard's cause and the freedom that comes with making the choice to be a part of "death with dignity." It was utterly painful of course to accept and let go of life. Maynard has interpreted deeply that "the reason to consider life and what's a value is to make sure you're not missing out... What's important to you? What do you care about? What matters? Pursue that... forget the rest" (qtd. in Compassion Choices). Just like any other person, Maynard was scared of death. Death is something that is completely understandable to despair from, whether it would be yourself that's dying or someone close. But, in the end, one's outlook is everything. Instead of grieving over what is yet to come, make the most of what is left, so the term "rest in peace" will actually be meaningful. By never looking back, Maynard wasn't distracted by her past. And because she wasn't distracted, she could keep moving forward to the future. And by moving towards the future, she experienced freedom we could have never found by grieving over the inevitable. This was the life filled with dignity. This was the life of Brittany Maynard. She didn't just die for herself or just for her family. Brittany Maynard's "death with dignity" was what changed this world for the better. The right to make the decision to control our own life is the greatest gift we have been given. Perhaps, now, thanks to Brittany, our government will realize this critical concept.