Brittany Maynard, who has made the decision to end her life before her terminal cancer does it for her, is making the most out the time she has left to live.
The 29-year-old has been busy with her remaining days, advocating for death with dignity legislation and continuing to pursue her love for travel and adventure.
This week, in what her mother called “her last hurrah,” Maynard checked off an item at the top of her bucket list — to visit the Grand Canyon.
“Thanks to the kindness of Americans around the country who came forward to make my ‘bucket list’ dream come true. The Canyon was breathtakingly beautiful, and I was able to enjoy my time with the two things I love most: my family and nature,” Maynard said in a statement.
Brittany Maynard realizes her final bucket list wish: a visit to the Grand Canyon http://t.co/AkuMs8t8By pic.twitter.com/0rEL1PgpNw
— People magazine (@peoplemag) October 24, 2014
In a video she made explaining her decision to end her life, Maynard said one of the dreams she hoped to realize before she died was to see the Grand Canyon.
“I hope to enjoy however many days I have on this beautiful Earth and spend as much of it outside as I can surrounded by those I love,” she said in the video.
Maynard has created quite a buzz in the ongoing national debate on right to die laws when she announced she would take her life by Nov. 1.
Diagnosed with glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, earlier this year, Maynard moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Portland, Oregon because it is one of five states in the U.S. that have death with dignity laws.
‘I LEAVE IT IN YOUR HANDS’ Woman suffering from terminal cancer posts touching note: http://t.co/Q455fJgYvV pic.twitter.com/rCHghUYX0j
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 23, 2014
Her diagnosis and health has not deterred the seasoned world traveller over the past few months. She has visited Alaska and Yellowstone National Park, and now she has added the Grand Canyon to her travel portfolio.
Maynard initially chose Nov. 1 as the date to possibly end her life because she wanted to be able to celebrate her husband’s Oct. 26 birthday.
However, she says she will determine the exact date to end her life depending on how the cancer progresses.