a los angeles attorney and single mom who is battling terminal lung cancer that has spread to her brain is launching a campaign for the right to end her own life, in a case that echoes that of brittany maynard terminal: christy o'donnell, 46, is battling lung and brain cancer and now fighting to die with dignity  christy o'donnell, a former police officer, says she has exhausted all her medical options in her battle against stage iv lung adenocarcinoma, which has masticated into a golf ball sized tumor in her brain despite surviving the six months life expectancy she was given upon being diagnosed last june, the 46 year old has been told her death will be painful, as her lungs continue to fill with fluid that will inevitably drown her 'i think it's a terrible injustice that i don't have the choice to die in the manner i want to and instead that i'm forced to very likely die in protracted pain and i might even die alone,' o'donnell told people magazine in a new feature o'donnell is now using what time she has left to support a  death with dignity law in california, having been inspired by maynard, the 29 year old california woman who moved to oregon to take her own life last year, ending a long battle with brain cancer o'donnell says she wants to be able to do the same in the bed of her home in valencia, with her 20 year old daughter, bailey donorovich, holding her hand she says her greatest fear is that her daughter will come home one day and find her mother dead o'donnell said she went to the doctors last year after waking up one morning and not being able to read properly a big book worm, she had been reading before going to bed the night before, only to wake and hardly make out the letters of some words she had her eyes checked, but the results came back fine o'donnell then called her physician and explain what happened, and the doctor told her to immediately go to the emergency room legacy: brittany maynard, 29, moved from california to oregon   one of five us states where terminally ill patients are legally allowed to kill themselves   to take her own life in november  an mri and some other tests confirmed her shocking diagnosis 'bailey grabbed my hand and i just started crying and said, ''i'm so sorry'',' o'donnell told people 'what i was really saying was, ''i'm so sorry i'm going to die and leave you without a mom''' o'donnell underwent chemotherapy and has taken part in numerous clinical trials however her prognosis has not changed 'there is not anything medically we have not explored,' o'donnell said 'so it is not like i haven't exhausted all my options my opinion is an informed one' doctors say the tumor in o'donnell's lungs causes fluid to build up she will soon have to undergo a painful procedure to empty the fluid, however it will fill up again almost immediately 'there's a good likelihood (my daughter) will come home from work, come home from school, and find me dead,' an overwhelmed o'donnell told people tv in memoriam: three california lawmakers are promoting right to die legislation with the family of brittany maynard (pictured with husband dan diaz), a terminally ill woman who ended her life early under oregon law on november 1  love: brittany maynard and dan diaz married at the beltane ranch in california's wine country on september 29, 2012  o'donnell is now hoping to fight not just to stay alive until brittany's 21st birthday in june, but for the law to allow her to die the way she wants 'in the short amount of time i have left, i want to spend it with my daughter   she and i are doing this together   and i want to speak out in whatever way possible to start that dialogue with the public, with the legislature and the courts, and try and impact change,' o'donnell said o'donnell's case is incredible similar to that of maynard her family   lead by mother debbie ziegler   are now trying to pass a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to kill themselves in california with drugs and dosages recommended by a doctor the practice is legal in five states, including oregon, where maynard moved before her suicide on november 1 hoping for change: debbie ziegler, the mother of brittany maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication on wednesday january 21, 2015, in sacramento  the 29 year old san francisco bay area woman had made her case public with online videos, saying in clips that were viewed tens of millions of times that she should have been able to legally obtain life ending drugs in california 'most californians would not be able to do what we did,' ziegler said 'they couldn't leave their homes; they couldn't leave their jobs; they couldn't leave their families, their friends, their pets 'we had to do all of that it added another layer of pain' maynard wrote in her final facebook post: 'goodbye to all my dear friends and family that i love today is the day i have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me  but would have taken so much more 
christy o'donnell 46 june six months o'donnell valencia california maynard oregon november
christy o'donnell, 46, diagnosed with stage iv lung adenocarcinoma in june and given six months to live . she has undergone chemotherapy and exhausted other medical options . eventually she will drown in her own lung fluid, doctors say . o'donnell wants to end her life at home in valencia, california . inspire by brittany maynard, she has joined the campaign to pass a right to die bill in the state . maynard moved to oregon in order to take her own life in november 