One of my hubby and my favorite pastimes is watching YouTube videos. He picks a few, normally something informative, or about video games. Then it’s my turn to pick something based solely on the most adorable screen shot. Last night I started with a tiny horse from England, followed by something that was much more inspiring.
It was a story about Brittany Maynard. She is only 29. I am 28. She got married last year. I got married in May. She had very real and hopeful plans for her future with her husband including a family and creating a home, just like me. Except that Brittany was diagnosed with the most deadly form of brain cancer. Her life expectancy is only a few months maybe 6. She made a decision to live out the rest of her life as fully and with as much dignity as possible, which is why she has decided to control her own destiny by taking a lethal dose of medication on November 1st.
As I laid in my comfortable bed, in my comfortable life, with my amazing husband and basically sobbed through the entire video I realized how much this topic doesn’t get discussed. It is something that makes people uncomfortable and the sheer thought of taking your own life is just labeled as a “selfish act” (many said this about Robin Williams). We as a society are so quick to judge someone else’s situation and what led them to that point. When we may actually know little about the pain they are going through. The topic of end-of-life rights doesn’t normally come up in conversation. It is something that people need to start talking about. With only 5 states in the US administering these medications, accessibility is impossible for some.
I went through my work day and encouraged to a few of my coworkers to watch the video. I came home tonight to write my blog post about fall fashion and realized that were on this blog for self expression and release. She is truly an inspiration of bravery, fearlessness, and selflessness. I want to thank Brittany for inspiring me to live life to the fullest, and bringing this real topic to life.
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