In 2010, one of my neighbors in my apartment building was dying of cancer. Ellen was in her early 60s and just about to leave on a cross-country RV trip when she was diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer. She fought hard, but it wasn’t enough. Her health took a major turn for the worse after she ended treatment. She was too weak for visitors, but I would I get updates from her husband, who I often saw in the halls.
She had just two or three weeks to live when I flew to Texas to visit my father. As the plane landed, my cell phone lit up with messages. Ellen ended her life shortly after our plane took off. I later learned from her husband that she didn’t want CANCER to decide it was her time to go. It was hard to process at the time that she could end her own life with a shotgun, but I respected her decision.
Here we are four years later and this issue is making international headlines with the recent passing of 29-year old Brittany Maynard. Like Ellen, Brittany was diagnosed with terminal cancer and wanted to die on her own terms rather than suffering through a long, painful and inevitable death. Not only was she able to make arrangements to “die with dignity” in Oregon, a state that allows a person to choose to end their life when they’re facing an incurable disease, but she also took the time to tell her story via video (which received more than 11 million views) and social media. As a face for the movement, she advocated that all terminally ill patients should be able to take medication that will let them end their lives on their own terms. And she did this all within six short months.
Of course, this subject is not without its opponents, but there’s no denying Brittany engaged the world in her story and her mission. I think it’s safe to say she wouldn’t have made such impact in such a short period of time if it weren’t for social media. And I’m pretty sure my friend Ellen would be proud of all that she’s done and the legacy she left behind.
Have you watched Brittany’s video?