>>> THE REASON TO CONSIDER LIFE AND WHAT'S OF VALUE IS TO MAKE
SURE YOU'RE NOT MISSING OUT.
SEIZE THE DAY.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?
WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT?
WHAT MATTERS?
WHAT MATTERS? PURSUE THAT.
PURSUE THAT. FORGET THE REST.
>> IN THE SPOTLIGHT TONIGHT,
BRITNEY MAYNARD'S LEGACY.
A YEAR AGO, SHE WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH TERMINAL BRAIN CANCER AND
DECIDED TO MOVE TO OREGON TO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT STATE
THAT ALLOWS TERMINALLY ILL
PATIENTS TO CHOOSE WHEN AND
WHERE THEY WANT TO DIE.
THE WORLD MET HER IN OCTOBER
LAST YEAR WHEN SHE TEAMED UP
WITH THE GROUP COMPASSION AND
CHOSE TO SHARE HER STORY IN A
VIDEO WHICH HAS BEEN VIEWED
ALMOST 12 MILLION TIMES.
ON NOVEMBER 1, SHE CHOSE TO END
HER LIFE IN HER HOME IN
PORTLAND, OREGON IN WHAT SHE
CALLED HER ROOM OF LOVE.
SHE WROTE ON FACEBOOK THAT DAY,
GOODBYE TO ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS
AND FAMILY.
AND FAMILY. TODAY IS THE DAY I'VE CHOSEN TO
PASS AWAY WITH DIGNITY.
IN A VIDEO SHE FILMED, BRITNEY
SAID THIS --
>> MY GOAL, OF COURSE, IS TO
INFLUENCE THIS POLICY FOR
POSITIVE CHANGE AND I WOULD LIKE
TO SEE ALL AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS
TO THE SAME HEALTH CARE RIGHTS.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS BRITNEY'S
HUSBAND.
HUSBAND. JAN, FIRST OF ALL, I'M SORRY FOR
YOUR LOSS AND WHAT YOU AND YOUR
FAMILY HAVE GONE THROUGH.
FRIEND OF MINE WENT THROUGH
BRAIN CANCER, SO WHEN SHE TALKS
ABOUT FOEING WHAT WAS COMING,
KNOWING WHAT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO
GO THROUGH, THAT'S VERY POWERFUL
FOR THOSE OF US THAT KNOW WHAT
THAT ENDING IS LIKE.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
THE -- WHAT BRITNEY WAS FACING
LEADING UP TO THE WEEKS OF HER
DEATH, THE SYMPTOMS SHE HAD WERE
GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.
WHAT WAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
WAS THE REALITY THAT SHE WOULD
POTENTIALLY LOSE HER SIGHT, GO
BLIND, BECOME PARALYZED.
SO KNOWING THAT SHE HAD THE
ABILITY TO CONTROL HOW MUCH
SUFFERING SHE WOULD HAVE TO
ENDURE SO SHE COULD FOCUS ON THE
LIVING AND NOT BE SO CONCERNED
WITH THE DYING PART.
THE DEATH WITH DIGNITY OPTION
THAT WAS AVAILABLE IN OREGON WAS
SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY
MEANINGFUL FOR HER TO HAVE THAT
OPTION.
OPTION. >> AND THEN SHE WAS ALSO ON HER
WAY TO BEING COMPLETELY UNABLE
TO COMMUNICATE AT A CERTAIN
POINT, WHICH WAS VERY IMPORTANT
TO HER, THAT ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE WITH YOU.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
EVEN BEFORE HER SURGERY, WHICH
WAS ON JANUARY 10th, THAT WAS
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS SHE
HAD, BEING TRAPPED IN HER OWN
BODY.
BODY. SO LEADING UP TO THAT BRAIN
SURGERY, THAT WAS HER PRIMARY
QUESTION.
QUESTION. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT IF
SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN THE
SURGERY, I LOSE THE ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE?
COMMUNICATE? SO AS THE BRAIN TUMOR WAS
AGREEING AND HER SYMPTOMS WERE
GETTING WORSE, THAT WAS ONE OF
THE BIGGEST FEARS SHE HAD.
EVERY TIME SHE HAD A SEIZURE,
SHE WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK FOR 15
MINUTES, 20 MINUTES.
SO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE
SEIZURE FOR HER WAS TERRIFYING.
>> BARBARA, YOUR ORGANIZATION
ISN'T ABOUT ADVOCATE THING
CHOICE, IT'S ABOUT ADVOCATING
THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS CHOICE.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
WE THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE
ACCESS TO THE CHOICE.
AND FROM OUR EXPERIENCE IN
OREGON, THE DATA SHOWS THAT JUST
HAVING THE CHOICE IS OF ENORMOUS
COMFORT TO PEOPLE AT THE END OF
LIFE.
LIFE. THEY SET SUCH A SENSE OF
SECURITY.
SECURITY. WHETHER THEY USE THE MEDICATION
OR NOT, IT IS -- IT BECOMES
IRRELEVANT, BECAUSE THEY'VE
ALREADY EXPERIENCED THE
TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE
QUALITY OF THEIR LIFE AND THEIR
OUTLOOK, JUST FEELING AS THOUGH
THEY'RE IN CONTROL AGAIN.
CONTROL OF THEIR OWN DESTINY.
>> MY DEAR FRIEND WHO I SAW GO
THROUGH THIS HAS THREE
DAUGHTERS.
DAUGHTERS. HIS CHOICE WAS TO HANG ON AS
LONG AS HE COULD, TO TAKE EVERY
MEASURE TO HOLD THEIR HANDS AS
MANY DAYS AS HE COULD.
BUT YOU AND BRITNEY DIDN'T HAVE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT
CALCULATIONS IN DIFFERENT CASES.
WHAT STRIKES ME IS JUST HOW
CLEARLY SHE WAS ABLE TO SEE AND
YOU WERE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE
REALITY WAS IF FRONT OF YOU AND
HOW YOU MADE THAT DECISION.
THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT YOU MADE
IT IN WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
TO ALLOW YOU TO THINK CLEARLY.
>> YES.
>> YES. BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY TRUTH BE
TOLD BEHIND THE SCENES IN
CALIFORNIA, YOU HEAR THAT THIS
KIND OF HAPPENS ANY WAY, WHERE
ONCE THERE'S MORPHINE IN THE
HOUSE, A PATIENT COULD.
BUT THEN THERE'S THE STORY
SIMILAR TO BARBARA MANCINI,
ANOTHER PERSON WORKING WITH
COMPASSIONATE CHOICES, THAT YOU
DO RUN A RISK, WHERE THE FAMILY
COULD BE POTENTIALLY BE
PROSECUTED.
PROSECUTED. SO OREGON, THE WISDOM OF THE
CITIZENS TO HAVE THIS LAW TO
HAVE PAST IT 17 YEARS AGO, SO
THAT THE FAMILY IS PROTECTED, SO
THAT THE PATIENT CAN DECIDE FOR
HIMSELF OR HERSELF, WITHOUT
ENDANGERING THE ONES THAT HE OR
SHE LOVES.
SHE LOVES. SO IT WAS A DIFFICULT CHOICE TO
UP AND MOVE TO OREGON IN THE
MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GONE
ON, THE CHAOS OF DEALING WITH A
BRAIN TUMOR.
BRAIN TUMOR. BUT AS SOON AS BRITNEY REALIZED
THE DEATH THAT, LEFT TO ITS OWN
DEVICE, THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO
SUFFER THROUGH, WE RECOGNIZED
THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> BARBARA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR