The terminally ill 29-year-old newlywed Brittany Maynard has taken to social media and the airwaves to tell the world she wants to die with dignity through assisted suicide on Nov. 1. She issued an emotional video explaining her decision. The video was then picked up across the media world.

The very public disclosure of a private issue has sparked considerable discussion about right to die options for terminally ill people who face horrible suffering in their final days.

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Maynard and her family are from the San Francisco Bay area, but relocated to Oregon, one of the five states allowing death with dignity options.

Earlier this year, Maynard went to doctors following a series of painful headaches. They diagnosed her with a deadly brain tumor, initially saying she might be able to live up to a decade longer.

Three months following initial diagnosis, however, doctors found the tumor had become larger despite surgery. Glioblastama, the deadliest type of brain cancer, was found to be afflicting Maynard. Doctors said she had only a few more months to live.

That final diagnosis sent Maynard into reviewing her available options for life and death. She said it took a while to convince family and friends to agree with her decision to end her life on her own terms.

Following that decision, Maynard and her husband moved to Oregon because the state allows assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. She said she wanted to live, but since the disease was terminal, she wanted to devote her last days to advocating better end-of-life options for terminally ill, mentally competent people.

Maynard and her family started the "Brittany Maynard Fund" to raise money along with the "Compassion & Choices" group to work for death-with-dignity options in the 45 states without such laws. Education and advocacy were important to gain acceptance for those options, she said.

Following a series of seizures, Maynard was hospitalized in September. She has been taking medication to manage the pain, but said she was becoming more exhausted as her condition worsened.

Her final days will be spend traveling. She already has taken recent trips to Yellowstone National Park and Alaska, and wants to see the Grand Canyon. She said she hoped to be outside as much a possible and enjoy life with her loved ones as long as she could.

TagsBrittany Maynard, assisted suicide, Oregon, newlywed, brain cancer, brain tumor, Glioblastama, death, terminally ill