They may very well have believed that or if they were under a huge amount of stress or not too bright they could have made statements that were not relevant to the question being asked but more about what they really or knew, which could have been that she would have wanted to live.
I don't believe in disregarding another's wishes. That said, there may be people who would disregard a person's wish to live as well. Which makes the acceptance of hearsay as evidence ridiculous.
We need to get back to the presumption of life and let those who want to die write it down. Have forms available at your local BMV just as the organ donor registration is.
We need to get back to respect for individual rights and marriage. "Want to die" is a poor way to characterize the preferences of many people who have a range of views on the complex and subtle things that can arise in end of life care. For example, many people want a certain amount of "heroic measures" just to be sure, but then have them abandoned after a period of time of trying. This is similar to what reportedly happened with Mrs. Schiavo...Mr. Schiavo made rather extraordinary attempts for her to recover (experimental therapy, etc.) but the physicians eventually convinced him there was no hope of recovery. This path is exactly what several of my friends and colleagues have expressed as their preferences when I make a point to discuss the topic with them.
Personally...and here it is in writing...I would want palliative care/pain management (which includes emotional...such as if I'm in a locked-in condition) as the primary concern. (I would rather be made unconcious or dead than to exist locked-in or in pain.) I don't want to be kept going just for the sake of prolonging life. And because I'm more concerned about the fanaticism of the anti-rights pro-lifers, I must state that I want them to err on the side of letting me go...