Brittany Maynard was told that she had only six months to live after learning that she had terminal brain cancer. According to doctors, her death would be slow and painful, leading her to seek the option of aid in dying, a cause she’s now speaking out for to help others.

Brittany Maynard's 'Death With Dignity'

Maynard, 29, moved earlier this year from San Francisco to Portland, Ore., where the Death with Dignity Act is in place. According to the act, terminally ill individuals may receive written prescriptions to aid them in dying at the date of their choosing. In addition to Oregon, only Washington, Montana, New Mexico and Vermont offer the option.

"The amount of sacrifice and change my family had to go through in order to get me to legal access to death with dignity – changing our residency, establishing a team of doctors, having a place to live – was profound," Maynard told People says.

"There's tons of Americans who don’t have time or the ability or finances," she added. "And I don't think that's right or fair."

Maynard is suffering from a stage 4 glioblastoma, which is a malignant brain tumor. After years of headaches, she was diagnosed with cancer and given the possibility of anywhere from 3 to 10 years to live. After a brain surgery, it was revealed that the tumor had grown and she had roughly half a year to live.

"There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die," she said. "I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there's not. My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that's out of my control. I've discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it's a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying."

Maynard has set a date to take the medication that will end her life on Nov. 1, two days after her husband's birthday. "I really wanted to celebrate my husband's birthday, which is October 30," she said. "I'm getting sicker, dealing with more pain and seizures and difficulties so I just selected it." Manard added, "I'm dying, but I'm choosing to suffer less, to put myself through less physical and emotional pain and my family as well."

On Monday, Maynard, alongside nonprofit Compassion & Choices, launched an online video campaign to advocate for expanding death with dignity laws.