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Christy O'Donnell, who publicly sought support from Gov. Jerry Brown for California's recently enacted End of Life Option Act, died on Saturday at home in Santa Clarita, before the new law could take effect. She died holding the hand of her 21-year-old daughter, Bailey Donorovich. O'Donnell, 47, was a former LAPD sergeant who became a lawyer and an advocate for the right of the terminally ill to choose the circumstances of their death. She had stage 4 lung cancer that had spread through her body.
Her brother, Jay Watts, posted the news on Facebook.
"On February 6, my little Sister Christy passed away and she asked me to post this as her final message on Facebook, as she wanted everyone to know how Loved, Supported, and Lucky she has been in her Lifetime to have you all in her Life," Watts wrote.
The End of Life Option Act was signed by Governor Brown in October and takes effect 90 days from the end of the legislative session later this year.
When Brown signed the bill on Oct. 5, she unselfishly spoke of the other beneficiaries:
"I'm overjoyed for all the terminally ill in California, who can now relax knowing they finally have the choice of aid in dying as one of their end-of-life options,'" O'Donnell said when the law was signed. "Gov. Brown, you have made me a proud Californian today, knowing I live in a state where our governor acts in accordance with what his people need, want, and deserve: in this case, a peaceful and pain-free death with their family."
