Community Chat

[scotttie]

On 11/3/2014 SmittenKitten said:

We don't know if she had peace of mind at the time she passed. She made a commitment to herself and selected a specific date to end her life which she did carry out even though she appeared to vacillate a bit at the end. Even her subconscious will to live was stronger than her determination to die. She was very determined to take a stand about dying with dignity via suicide. Her mind was made up from the inception of her diagnosis by refusing to be treated for her cancer and she was not going to fight the disease even before the pain and seizures set in. She refused chemo and radiation and said that her particular form of brain cancer had a very low survival rate even though others have survived 5 years or more. She managed to do quite a bit of travelling just months before she passed which is proof that she had moments of feeling well enough to do so and only recently after her trip to the Grand Canyon did she have a bad seizure which left her unable to speak. In her video she seemed tormented and depressed by her appearance which had changed due to medications that made her gain 25 lbs. She appeared just as upset with her weight gain as she did with her cancer. Everyone is different so none of us can judge her but I will say that most terminal patients that I have encountered want to live not die.

She wanted to be in control of her disease and to make a statement about assisted suicide and she carried her plan out. Even if she wanted to change her mind about the particular date she chose to kill herself, I believe (and this is only my opinion) that she felt she had to follow through since she made it so public and was so vocal about it, that she would have had to face all the criticism she was already receiving after release that last video.

I'm guessing you are correct. She was immediately made a cause celebre by that group.

[Catitude]

On 11/3/2014 scotttie said:

On 11/3/2014 SmittenKitten said:

We don't know if she had peace of mind at the time she passed. She made a commitment to herself and selected a specific date to end her life which she did carry out even though she appeared to vacillate a bit at the end. Even her subconscious will to live was stronger than her determination to die. She was very determined to take a stand about dying with dignity via suicide. Her mind was made up from the inception of her diagnosis by refusing to be treated for her cancer and she was not going to fight the disease even before the pain and seizures set in. She refused chemo and radiation and said that her particular form of brain cancer had a very low survival rate even though others have survived 5 years or more. She managed to do quite a bit of travelling just months before she passed which is proof that she had moments of feeling well enough to do so and only recently after her trip to the Grand Canyon did she have a bad seizure which left her unable to speak. In her video she seemed tormented and depressed by her appearance which had changed due to medications that made her gain 25 lbs. She appeared just as upset with her weight gain as she did with her cancer. Everyone is different so none of us can judge her but I will say that most terminal patients that I have encountered want to live not die.

She wanted to be in control of her disease and to make a statement about assisted suicide and she carried her plan out. Even if she wanted to change her mind about the particular date she chose to kill herself, I believe (and this is only my opinion) that she felt she had to follow through since she made it so public and was so vocal about it, that she would have had to face all the criticism she was already receiving after release that last video.

I'm guessing you are correct. She was immediately made a cause celebre by that group.

Did you happen to see the last video she released just days before she ended her life? She said she still might be here after the date she selected to die and she would hope that everyone would still support her choice. That was very telling! I believe she was possibly having second thoughts about it, but of course she would be letting down so many of her supporters who were rallying behind her and encouraging her to commit suicide. After the release of that last video so many took to facebook and twitter to criticize her and accused her of making the whole thing up when they saw that she was no longer firm on her position. I think she had no choice at that point and had to carry it out. And that is MY opinion.

[adelle38]

I think that this young woman and her family showed such strength, love and courage throughout this whole ordeal that they would not allow some nasty tweets and Facebook comments to decide her fate. If nasty comments were all it would take to alter her decision, than those made by people opposing her suicide would have stopped it. She and her family made a choice to end suffering that had become to painful to endure. May she rest in peace.

[muttmom]

The second video gave people false hope. I saw it on one of the morning shows last week. After they showed it they said it was believed the video was about 2 weeks old, made shortly after her Grand Canyon trip.

I've read her medical condition deteriorated rapidly after that trip.

[adelle38]

On 11/3/2014 muttmom said:

The second video gave people false hope. I saw it on one of the morning shows last week. After they showed it they said it was believed the video was about 2 weeks old, made shortly after her Grand Canyon trip.

I've read her medical condition deteriorated rapidly after that trip.

Perhaps it was released when it was so the press wouldn't be hovering around her and her family when she made the final choice.

[dooBdoo]

On 11/3/2014 adelle38 said:

On 11/3/2014 muttmom said:

The second video gave people false hope. I saw it on one of the morning shows last week. After they showed it they said it was believed the video was about 2 weeks old, made shortly after her Grand Canyon trip.

I've read her medical condition deteriorated rapidly after that trip.

Perhaps it was released when it was so the press wouldn't be hovering around her and her family when she made the final choice.

Yes, the reports were that she wasn't doing well at all after the Grand Canyon trip. If one reads all the documentation about her journey, I think it's clear that she was careful and thoughtful with her choices and her family and medical team counseled and supported her. In my opinion, after reading everything I could find, any suggestion that she made the final determination because of public pressure, etc., is unfounded.

[dooBdoo]

On 11/3/2014 Cakers1 said:

I would like to take a moment and comment on the religious aspect of this situation.

1st, let it be known that I realize that not everyone is Christian, nor does eveyone believe in God, so let's not make my post about lecturing.

I keep reading that Brittany took God's power and plan away from Him; perhaps Brittany was doing exactly what God wanted. We can never assume that she overstepped her bounds. Perhaps, just perhaps, God used this lovely young woman to open up the notion that choice is always ours. Through Brittany the doors to discussing death with dignity have been flung out so wide I think they fell off the darn hinges.

I don't know what Brittany believed in terms of God; but if she had any spiritual, not necessarily religious, but spiritual insight surely she also prayed at some point while making her plan. If Jesus in Gesthmene could ask that this be taken away from Him, who are we to say that Brittany also didn't ask to be spared? Jesus went on to fulfill the Father's plan. We cannot say that Brittany did not do the same.

Brittany was graced with peace of mind; that is a blessing. A blessing, imo, from above to alleve her of any doubts and fears about her plan. Blessings are not just material things; that inner sense that all will be ok, no matter our decisions, that's the blessing. Comfort, love, understanding.

To ask any of us would we do the same - who can answer such a thing? Who can picture her own child in that situation? I can't, for sure, although in a few years I could face a similar path with a loved one. Enough about that.

Everyone here has their own perspective about Brittany; nobody is right if everyone is wrong (my apologies to Buffalo Springfield). Brittany's choice was for her - not for her husband, not for her mother - but for her. Yes, her loved ones were included but in the end nobody but Brittany could take that final step.

RIP Brittany - I salute you for taking a stand to bring awareness to everyone who read your story. There was nothing self-serving about you; no dramatics, no hand-wringing, no "why me", no wailing. Simply told your story with grace; none of us know your inner turmoil at the beginning of your diagnosis. But in the end you showed that death with dignity is not about seeking attention; it's about human dignity and nobody could take that away from you.

Compassionate, eloquent, and thoughtful. Thanks for posting this, Cakers.

[Surfnturf]

I just don't believe for a minute she would make a life or death decision based on outside pressure. I think she did what she did on her own terms at the time of her choosing. My heart goes out to her, and the difficult decision she made to end her life with dignity.

[Jig Saw]

If she had kept her decision to herself she would not have had to worry about nasty comments. Everybody knows how social media is.

[Sushismom]

I agree, wookie.