Brittany Maynard and her husband
PORTLAND -- Brittany Maynard, the woman who has chosen Nov. 1 as the day she will die, recently spoke to People and wrote a blog post expressing appreciation for the support she has received over the past few weeks.
After her wedding in 2013, the 29-year-old began experiencing debilitating headaches.
While vacationing with her husband in January, Brittany was diagnosed with grade II Astrocytoma, a severe brain tumor.
After the diagnosis, doctors said her cancer had progressed to Glioblastoma multiforme, the deadliest form of brain cancer. The average life expectancy is only 14 months.
This browser does not support the Video element.
When doctors told Brittany her death would likely be slow and painful as the tumor continued to grow, she opted to choose her own ending.
On November 1 -- only two days after her husband's birthday -- surrounded by her husband, mother and best friend, Brittany will end her life using medication prescribed by her doctor.
She recently told People she will pull apart 100 capsules of the sedative secobarbital, dissolve them in water, and drink it.
"I don't want to die but I am dying," Maynard tells PEOPLE in a new interview. "My is going to kill me, and it's a terrible, terrible way to die. So to be able to die with my family with me, to have control over my own mind, which I would stand to lose – to go with dignity is less terrifying."
Maynard will not speak again publicly as she "heads into her final weeks," her representative said on Monday. She also posted an update on her blog earlier this month: