She insisted on medical aid in dying. Her daughter had to tell the rest of the family.

Bernice Rodriguez is dying.

At 75, she has stage 4 breast cancer. She's beaten cancer before, but this time she knows it's a losing battle. The cancer has spread to her lungs and bones. She hasn't made peace with it, really, but she has taken as much control of the situation as she can. With her daughter's help, she's gone through all of the necessary paperwork and doctor's visits to get the medication for medical aid in dying, which became legal in the state of California in 2016.

"I had family members pass recently and they went through all the chemo and losing their hair, being chronically ill for, you know, six months and then dying anyway," Rodriguez told USA TODAY. "And so, yeah, that wasn't even on the table for me."

More: New York to become latest state to allow aid in dying. What is it?

Rodriguez has the prescription now, ready to be filled and delivered whenever her condition takes a turn. For her daughter, Teresa Rodriguez, the whole process has been a nightmare. As the eldest of her siblings and cousins, she said she's stepped into a role she "didn't really want" by sharing the daily and weekly updates of her mother's health.