Quick Facts:
- Brittany Maynard died Saturday with Oregon's state-assisted suicide law.
- She had battled brain cancer; diagnosis was in January.
- Maynard left farewell message on Facebook.
- "Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!"
Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old woman with terminal brain cancer who became the new face of the right-to-die movement, has died according to her wishes a spokesman said Sunday.
Maynard, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in January and given six months to live, moved to Oregon earlier in the year to take advantage of the state's assisted suicide law. According to the Associated Press, Maynard took a lethal dose of drugs prescribed by a doctor.
Sean Crowley, a spokesman for Compassion & Choices, said in a statement late Sunday that Maynard died Saturday "as she intended — peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones."
According to People, Maynard said goodbye in a message to her friends and family on Facebook.
"Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love,” she wrote. “Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more. The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!"
She told reporters she planned to take her life Saturday, less than three weeks before her 30th birthday, but later said she was feeling well enough to possibly postpone. She said she wasn't suicidal but wanted to die on her own terms, and she reserved the right to move the death date forward or push it back.
Reports of Maynard's death sparked immediate reaction on social media. Click here to read previous coverage of Maynard's battle with brain cancer. Late last month, she made a final trip to the Grand Canyon. Follow this link to see the images of Maynard's trip to the Grand Canyon.
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