What if you could leave some words of wisdom when you’re facing death? That’s exactly what 27-year-old Holly Butcher did, who shared some of her thoughts in a note she wrote the day before she passed away.
Holly posted the “Note Before I Die” on Facebook, with her life advice message quickly going viral.
She explained in her note: “It’s a strange thing to realize and accept your mortality at 26 years young. It’s just one of those things you ignore.
The days tick by and you just expect they will keep on coming; Until the unexpected happens. I always imagined myself growing old, wrinkled and grey – most likely caused by the beautiful family (lots of kiddies) I planned on building with the love of my life. I want that so bad it hurts.”
Holly discovered at age 26 that she had a rare form of cancer in and around her bones. Her brother Dean said of Holly: “She embodied good health,” adding, “As a dietitian, she ate all the right foods, she exercised regularly and didn’t drink much alcohol. But that’s the thing about cancer… it’s non-discriminatory.”
Unfortunately, the stage 4 cancer had spread to most of her body and her prognosis was grim. Given that she didn’t have much life left to live, Dean noted, “She didn’t let it get the best of her.”
He added: “Despite the immense pain she was in, there was always something she looked forward to… throughout the whole ordeal, she was just so tough and resilient.”
Holly wrote in her note: “That’s the thing about life; It is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right. I’m 27 now. I don’t want to go. I love my life. I am happy… I owe that to my loved ones. But the control is out of my hands.”
When Dean had asked his sister in the weeks before her death if she had any final wishes, he noted, “She happily replied, ‘No. I was going to live a simple life. I didn’t have big plans. I just wanted to live happily.’ Those were her exact words because I recorded the conversation so I could listen to her voice afterward.”
Among the advice she left behind in her note was to appreciate life, as she explained: “You might have got caught in bad traffic today, or had a bad sleep because your beautiful babies kept you awake, or your hairdresser cut your hair too short. Your new fake nails might have got a chip, your b**bs are too small, or you have cellulite on your arse and your belly is wobbling.”
She continued: “Let all that sh** go… I swear you will not be thinking of those things when it is your turn to go. It is all SO insignificant when you look at life as a whole.
I’m watching my body waste away right before my eyes with nothing I can do about it and all I wish for now is that I could have just one more Birthday or Christmas with my family, or just one more day with my partner and dog. Just one more.”
