Brittany Maynard, advocate for 'death with dignity,' ends her life Photogallery

01 / 9

Brittany Maynard, advocate for 'death with dignity,' ends her life

Brittany Maynard, 29, was diagnosed with brain cancer on New Year's Day and was later given six months to live. She and her husband, Dan Diaz, moved from California because that state does not allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with lethal drugs prescribed by a doctor.

See more of : Brittany Maynard

02 / 9

Maynard became a nationally recognized advocate for the group Compassion & Choices, which seeks to expand aid-in-dying laws beyond a handful of states.

See more of : Brittany Maynard

03 / 9

Sean Crowley, a spokesman for Compassion & Choices, said yesterday in a statement that Maynard died on Saturday as she intended peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones.

See more of : Brittany Maynard

04 / 9

Crowley said Maynard "suffered increasingly frequent and longer seizures, severe head and neck pain, and stroke-like symptoms. As symptoms grew more severe she chose to abbreviate the dying process by taking the aid-in-dying medication she had received months ago."

See more of : Brittany Maynard

05 / 9

Maynard's story, accompanied by photos from her pre-illness wedding day, got attention across the globe while igniting a debate about doctor-assisted suicide.

See more of : Brittany Maynard

06 / 9

She told reporters she planned to take her life on 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.

See more of : Brittany Maynard

07 / 9

She said her husband and other relatives accepted her choice.

08 / 9

"I think in the beginning my family members wanted a miracle; they wanted a cure for my cancer." she told The Associated Press in early October. "I wanted a cure for my cancer. I still want a cure for my cancer. One does not exist, at least that I'm aware of.

09 / 9