A Life Worth Living – The Brittany Maynard Story

By now I'm sure most of you have heard about the suicide of Brittany Maynard. Brittany was a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer one year after her wedding.  When doctors suggested that she might only have six months to live, she and her family moved from California to Oregon in order to obtain the prescriptions necessary for doctor-assisted suicide.  She devoted her last days to fundraising and lobbying for an organization dedicated to expanding the legality of assisted suicide to other states in the U.S.

I can’t begin to imagine what she went through, but I do know that it must have been extremely difficult and frightening to have received this diagnosis. She obviously looked at all the worst case scenarios, instead of exploring all the possibilities. What she didn’t realize was that God was at her side every step of the way and that He loved her more than she loved herself.

This has been a very controversial subject. Many are saying that she was brave and honorable for taking control of her life. They are saying she was kind and thoughtful for not putting her friends and family through the sadness of watching her die a slow and painful death.  Many are saying that this was strictly a matter of choice, as in one's right to choose when and how to die when faced with the inevitability death itself. 

Perhaps it was a matter of choice; just one individual’s decision. But that does not mean that all decisions we make are God's will. Suicide is not God's will. If God created us in His image, body and soul, our bodies serve as the temples or homes of our soul while we reside on this earth. As such, we are merely stewards of our bodies; our earthly homes. If our homes become old, run-down or ravaged by storms to the point that they are beyond repair, God gave us the power (through free will) to burn our house down - but is that His will? Is that the decision He wants us to make? Is that the decision He wanted Brittany to make? I don't think so. By taking her life into her own hands, Brittany deprived God of completing His work in her life and perhaps missed out on a miracle or two.

We all, at some point in our lives, question why God would allow the evil of pain and suffering in our world. Suffering is endemic to the human condition, and the ways people address suffering go far in determining the course of their lives. People can be defeated and embittered by suffering, or they can use their suffering to spur them on to a successful life. Awareness of the suffering of others can motivate charity and a life of public service. Some people even take suffering on themselves in order to relieve the suffering of others. Suffering can also lead to realizations about the purpose of life, lead one closer to God and open a door to transcendence.

I’d like to share a story with you. It is one of pain and suffering, but one also of immense joy. Blessed Chiara Badano died at age 19 after a two year battle with osteogenic sarconma, one of the most painful forms of bone cancer. When the doctors would go to treat her cancer, she would refuse any medicine to dull the pain. She welcomed the suffering and wanted to be fully aware of the pain because it brought her closer to Jesus’ suffering. Through difficult times, she would focus on the foresaken Christ. “It’s for you, Jesus; if you want it, I want it, too." When her hair fell out she’d say, “For you, Jesus."  When she could no longer walk, “If I had to choose between walking again and going to heaven, I wouldn’t hesitate. I would choose heaven." When she was dying, “Don’t shed any tears for me. I’m going to Jesus. At my funeral, I don’t want people crying, but singing with all their hearts." For her funeral she wanted it to be her wedding: “When you’re getting me ready, Mum, you have to keep saying to yourself, ‘Chiara Luce is now seeing Jesus.’’ Friends and doctors of Chiara write of the joy she gave the world. They say she never stopped smiling through all the pain. A friend from the Focolare Movement said, “At first we thought we’d visit her to keep her spirits up, but very soon we understood that, in fact, we were the ones who needed her. Her life was like a magnet drawing us to her."

One of the doctors, Dr. Antonio Delogu, said, “Through her smile, and through her eyes full of light, she showed us that death doesn’t exist; only life exists." 

Unfortunately, Brittany Maynard and her loved ones never got to experience that.