27-year-old girl tragically passed away of cancer, then family discovers this Facebook message posted 24 hours before her death. It is so touching… You should read it by yourself…
Death is something that awaits each of us sooner or later. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the death of a close relative or your own struggle for life – in any case, facing death is never easy.
Fortunately, most people don’t start thinking about death until they get old, but some people have to deal with it at a much younger age. Holly Butcher was one of those people.
Holly began to think about death after she was diagnosed with cancer at 26.
Before leaving our world forever, she decided to write a farewell letter, which she posted on her Facebook page on January 3, 2018.
Less than 24 hours after the letter was published, Holly passed away surrounded by her family.
Now her message is spreading all over the world, touching the hearts of countless people.
She begins her letter like this:
“It’s strange to realize and accept your death at 26 years old. Usually we just don’t think about it. Days pass, and you think that it will always be like this. Until one day the unexpected happens. I always imagined how I would grow old, gray and wrinkled, devoting myself to the large family (with many children) that I planned to build with my loved one. I wanted this so much that now it causes me unbearable mental pain.”
“But that’s life: it’s fragile, priceless and unpredictable, and every day is a gift, not a given.
I am now 27 years old. I don’t want to leave this world. I love my life. I’m happy. I owe this to my loved ones. But I can’t control life.
I didn’t write this “before I die” post because I’m afraid of death. I like the fact that we are mostly unaware of its inevitability. Except for me, who decided to share my thoughts. It’s not customary to talk about this topic, it’s taboo, as if it would never happen to us… That’s why it doesn’t come so easily to me.
I just want people to finally stop worrying about the small, meaningless things in their lives and remember that at the end of the road there is only one fate waiting for us all. So do your best to live your life well and with dignity, without paying attention to any nonsense.
I’m sharing a variety of thoughts in my post because I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my life over the past few months. Of course, most often such thoughts occur to me in the middle of the night!
When you find yourself complaining about little things (and I’ve noticed a lot of that in recent months), just think about someone who actually has a problem. Thank fate for minor troubles and forget about them. And even if something annoys you, the main thing is not to focus on it and try not to take your anger out on other people.
Go out into the fresh air, take a deep breath of that fresh Australian air, look at the blue sky and green trees; it is so beautiful. Think how lucky you are to be able to do this—breathe.
Perhaps today you were caught in a terrible traffic jam, or didn’t get enough sleep because your wonderful children kept you awake, or the hairdresser cut your hair too short. Maybe you’ve broken your newly extended nails, have small breasts, cellulite in your backside, or folds on your stomach.
Forget this nonsense. I promise you won’t be thinking about things like that when it’s your turn to leave. All this is so insignificant when you look at life as a whole. I see my body disappearing right before my eyes and I can’t do anything about it. All I want now is to celebrate another birthday and Christmas with my family, or spend one more day with my loved one and my dog. Just one more.
I’ve heard people complain about how terrible the job is or how hard it is to work out at the gym – be grateful that you can do physical work at all. Working out and exercising can seem like completely normal things… as long as your body can do them.
I have always tried to lead a healthy lifestyle, probably it was even my main passion. Value your health and performance, even if your body is not the ideal size for you. Take care of your body and don’t forget about its amazing abilities. Train your body and eat right. But don’t get too hung up on it.
Remember that there are other indicators of good health than the physical body. Also try to find a source of mental, emotional and spiritual joy. Thus, you will understand how insignificant and unimportant the image of an ideal body imposed by the media really is. To do this, delete any account that appears in your news feed that in any way instills in you a feeling of self-doubt. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your friend’s account or not… Be ruthless for your own well-being.
Be grateful for every day when you are pain-free. And even on the days when you don’t feel well because of a cold, a sore back, or a sprained ankle, be grateful that it’s not life-threatening and will pass sooner or later.
People, complain less and help each other more!
Give, give and give again. It’s true that doing more for others than for yourself makes you feel happier. It’s a pity I didn’t do this so often.
Since I got sick, I have met incredibly generous and kind people, I have heard many thoughtful and pleasant words, I have received support from my family, friends and strangers; More than I can give in return. I will never forget this and will forever be grateful to all these people.
It’s terrible when you start spending all the money you have at the end… when you’re already dying. This is not the case when you go to a store and buy something material, like a new dress. It makes you think about how stupid it is that we spend so much money on new clothes and different things.
Instead of another new dress, newfangled beauty product or jewelry, buy your friends something nice.1. Nobody cares if you wear the same thing twice 2. You’ll like it. Invite friends to a cafe, or better yet, cook dinner yourself. Treat them to coffee. Give/buy a plant, a certificate for a massage, or even a decorative candle and tell them you love them when you give them your gift.
Know how to value another person’s time. If you are used to being late, don’t keep them waiting. Start preparing for the meeting in advance. Appreciate the fact that your friends want to share their time with you, and don’t sit staring at your phone, waiting for your boyfriend. This will earn their respect! Amen sister.
This year, as a family, we agreed not to give any gifts. Even though the tree looked rather dull (I almost lost my nerve on Christmas Eve!), it was so nice that no one had to run around the shops looking for gifts, and everyone concentrated on writing original greetings for each other’s cards. Also, imagine if my family was looking for a gift for me, knowing that it would end up being theirs… pretty weird, right?! It may sound lame, but cards mean much more to me than spontaneously purchased gifts. In addition, there are no small children in the house, so this decision suited everyone. The moral of my story is that the meaning of Christmas is not about gifts at all, but about relationship with each other. Let’s move on.
Spend money on travel. Or, at least, don’t put off your trip because you spent all your money on material, essentially unnecessary, benefits.
Make the effort to finally take that day trip to the beach you’ve been putting off. Take a dip in the water, bury yourself in the sand. Wet your face with salt water.
Relax in nature.
Just feel the moment and enjoy it, instead of filming it with your smartphone camera.
Life is not meant to be lived through a screen, or taking the perfect photo…enjoy the beautiful moments, people! Stop catching them for others.
Random rhetorical question. Are those few hours you spend every day styling your hair and makeup or endlessly getting ready for a nightclub really worth it? I never understood this about girls.
At least occasionally, get up early to listen to the birds and watch how the rising sun paints the still sleepy city with its colors.
Listen to the music… just listen. Music is medicine. And old music is better.
Hug your pet. Even if I am far away, I will miss my dog.
Talk to your friends. Find out if everything is okay with them?
Work to live, but don’t live to work.
Seriously, do what gets your heart pumping.
Eat some cake. And no guilt!
Say no to things you don’t want to do.
Don’t be swayed by others’ opinions about what is considered a fulfilling life. Perhaps you like a different, ordinary life, and there is nothing wrong with that!
Tell your loved ones that you love them every time you can and love them with all your heart.
Also, remember, if something is making you unhappy, you have the power to change it – work, personal relationships, whatever it is. Take courage and change this in your life. You don’t know how much time you have on this earth, so don’t waste it on things that deprive you of the opportunity to be happy. I know this is often written and said, but these words are true.
Anyway, this is just advice from a young girl. If you want, listen, or if you want, no, I don’t mind!
And lastly: if you have such an opportunity, do a good deed for humanity (including me) and start donating blood regularly. By doing this you will help save someone’s life, and as a bonus you will get good health. I’m sorry that fewer and fewer people are willing to donate, given that every blood donation can save 3 lives! This is a huge contribution that virtually anyone can make, and the procedure itself is very simple and painless.
Donated blood (I’ve already lost count of bags, to be honest) gave me the opportunity to live another year, for which I will forever be grateful. She allowed me to spend it in our wonderful world, with my family, friends and beloved dog. This year has given me many unforgettable moments.
“See you again!
With love, Holly
I ran Holly’s every word through my heart and now I’m crying. It may not be so easy to follow her advice in the daily hustle and bustle of days, but if we remember them more often, our world will become a little better, and people will be a little happier.
In the end, what matters is not how much money, fur coats or cars you have, in the end it is important to understand that your life was rich and wonderful, that you managed to realize your plans and are now happy that you did not waste so much time.
