Preloading

Brittany Maynard's Husband Shares Intimate Details of Her Final Day

Season 5 Episode 501
Aired on 03/15/2015 | CC
In January 2014, 29-year-old newlywed Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with brain cancer. She endured an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor, but just a few months later, the cancer returned. At that time, doctors gave Brittany just six months to live. With no hope for a cure, Brittany made the controversial decision to end her life on her own terms, and consequently, she became the face of the right-to-die movement in the United States. On November 1, 2014, Brittany took a fatal dose of prescribed medication that ended her life.

Now, her husband, Dan Diaz, opens up to Oprah about the intimate details of Brittany's last day. Before drinking the medication, Dan says, Brittany asked the loved ones gathered at her bedside to share a favorite memory with her. Then, as she lay next to her husband and dogs, Charlie and Bella, she decided it was time.

"The mood in the house was very peaceful, very loving," Dan says. "When she was ready, she actually wrote on Facebook a message to her friends, and said 'I love you' to everyone, to me."

In the video above, Dan describes Brittany's final moments after drinking her last dose of medication.

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