Matt Fairchild, 48, of Burbank, California, doesn't intend to access the state's medical aid-in-dying option just yet. But having a willing physician to write the prescription and the procedural paperwork at the ready – if needed – gives him peace of mind.

Fairchild, a retired Army staff sergeant with terminal metastatic melanoma that has spread to brain and bones, has been grappling with cancer for more than five years. He takes some 25 medications daily to manage symptoms like pain and prevent seizures. Last weekend, he and his wife Ginger, who is also his caregiver, came home after another emergency hospital trip because of his suddenly swelling brain tumors.

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