The story of Brittany Maynard swept social media earlier this month. The terminally ill woman made a public decision to end her own life after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer
Maynard was diagnosed in April with grade-4 glioblastoma and was given six months to live. After her diagnosis, she moved from San Francisco to Oregon where doctors can prescribe life-ending drugs to the dying. The 29-year-old said at the time that she does not want to die but since it appears she will, she wants to die on her own terms.
When the 29-year-old posted her plans to social media, she became an advocate for the "death with dignity" movement, which advocates for terminally ill people to die on their own terms.On Thursday, she released a video saying she has made the decision not to end her life on November 1, as was originally planned. In the video, she says she has yet to decide on the date to end her life and is waiting to see how her symptoms progress.
"I still laugh and smile with my family and friends and it doesn't seem like the right time, right now," she said in the video. "But it will come because I feel myself getting sicker. It's happening each week.
Maynard said she still gets out with her family and still walks her dogs, two things that she says brings her the greatest feelings of health.
The new video comes just a few days after telling People magazine that she is firm in her decision.
VIDEO: Watch her emotional update by clicking play. Fox 2 app users, click here.
Since becoming ill, Maynard has travelled to Yellowstone National Park and to Alaska. In a video, Maynard said she wanted to visit Grand Canyon before her death.
She posted photos of her visit to the Grand Canyon on the Compassion & Choices website.
In one photo she poses with her parents in front of the great rock formations. In another, she kisses her husband as they stand on the canyon's rim. She's wearing a pink sweater and sunglasses, and is smiling.
On Compassion & Choices' website, Maynard wrote the trip was sponsored by "Americans around the country who came forward to make my 'bucket list' dream come true."
Maynard wrote that the morning after the trip she had her "worst seizure thus far," and her speech was paralyzed for a long time after she regained consciousness.
Maynard takes prescription drugs to reduce the swelling in her brain and to minimize seizures, but the drugs have side effects that include weight gain and swelling of the face