Avril Anjers, 60, doesn’t want to die.

But the avid angler and photographer from Guffey, has been diagnosed with a rare breast cancer that has metastasized to her spine, hips and sternum area.

“I want to have the option to die like I lived, and that’s on my own terms,” Anjers said. “Once you’ve got metastatic cancer in your bones it’s very painful. You’ve got 24 to 36 months to live.”

Anjers shared her story Wednesday at Pikes Peak United Way in Colorado Springs to raise awareness about the End-of-Life Options Act.

Lawmakers considered a similar bill in 2015 that was defeated, but some are pledging to bring the issue back when session begins in January, said Roland Halpern, with the national advocacy group Compassion and Choices.

Events were held in seven locations across the state Wednesday to begin educating the public about the bill and garnering support.

Halpern said the bill is extremely specific to prevent abuse, suicide and euthanasia. A doctor can prescribe life-ending drugs only under very strict circumstances, Halpern said.

The proposed law, which hasn’t been officially drafted, would require two doctors to confirm a terminal diagnosis with less than six months to live. Multiple people must witness both verbal and written requests for the drug, and the patient must be capable of administering the drug to themselves. The patient must be at least 18 years old and capable of making the decision. Halpern said counseling about alternatives like hospice care and pain management would be mandatory.

“We find that at that particular stage, most, about 90 percent of patients will say I’ll at least try something different … and we find most of them never come back,” Halpern said. “These are not people who want to die.”

Anjers said she simply wants to have the option if the pain becomes unmanageable.

For now, however, she feels healthy and is grateful for the life she has lived. She lives on about 20 acres in a rural community. She’s been a massage therapist, a real-estate photographer and a nature photographer. She also ties flies for local fly shops.

“I don’t want to be here any longer than I need to be when I don’t have quality of life, and having an option to make that decision for myself is very important,” Anjers said.

This year California joined four other states in allowing doctors to prescribe fatal drugs to terminally ill patients. It is also legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana.

Opponents of the law argue it can be dangerous given the possibility for misdiagnoses or for the general availability of a life-ending drug through prescriptions. Others oppose it for religious reasons.

The legislative session begins Jan.13.

Andy Cross