Terminally ill woman who planned to end life on November 1 decides it's not the right time

An American woman with terminal brain cancer who had decided to end her life by on November 1 has had a change of heart, revealing that now "doesn't seem like the right time".

Brittany Maynard, 29, made headlines around the world when she published a YouTube video announcing that she planned to commit assisted suicide after she was told she had six months to live in April, The Telegraph reports.

The video was viewed online almost nine million times and the Oregon resident was flooded with messages of support.

But on yesterday Ms Maynard published a new video in conjunction with end of life group Compassion & Choices, saying she had changed her mind about the fatal decision.

"I still feel good enough and I still have enough joy and I still laugh and smile with my family and friends enough that it doesn’t seem like the right time right now ," she said.

"But it will come, because I feel myself getting sicker. It’s happening each week.

"When people criticize me for not waiting longer, or, you know, whatever they've decided is best for me, it hurts because really, I risk it every day, every day that I wake up."

Ms Maynard said he condition is getting worse and but she will wait and see how her symptoms progress before setting a date to end her life.

She said that taking too long to make the decision is one of her greatest fears.

"The worst thing that could happen to me is that I wait too long because I’m trying to seize each day," she said.

"But I somehow have my autonomy taken away from me by my disease because of the nature of my cancer."

Ms Maynard's family supported her decision.

"It's not my job to tell her how to live, and it's not my job to tell her how to die,” her mother Debbie Ziegler said.

"It's my job to love her through it."

Ms Maynard's husband Diaz said they are taking things one day at a time and trying to make the most of their remaining time together.

Source: Compassion & Choices