#letstalkaboutdeath

Today is day one of Dying Matters week; a week dedicated to getting people in talking about all things death and dying. As always, I shall be wearing something yellow and making a post every day this week to show my support and spread awareness. As a palliative care patient for the last 15 years, who has had more close calls than I can count, who’s grown up in hospices, I am intimately familiar with death and dying... but most people aren’t. I think we need to change that; especially during these uncertain times when so many people are loosing loved ones. If you’d like to ask me any questions about palliative care, please do! And even if I can’t answer, I’ll direct you to someone who can. It’s especially apt that today’s topic is sudden and traumatic death; something many people are dealing with due to Covid-19. I hope having open, honest and compassionate discussions can help some people going through something horrific. Finally, I want to share the message printed on my t shirt with all my fellow palliative care warriors; you are enough. #dyingmattersweek #letstalkaboutdeath #palliativecarewarrior #wearyellowtoshowyoucare https://www.instagram.com/p/CAEB8rJD7Up/?igshid=h6hzl6suvfq8

So today’s theme for Dying Matters Week is memorialisation, and I just happened to have a meeting with my Ty Hafan Family Support Worker to discuss my end of life care plan. That resulted in me spending an hour or so in the garden this evening writing down everything to do with my dying, death and funeral that came to mind. I stopped when I started to get a bit upset. For as long as I can remember, anything I’ve written like this has gone in my butterfly 🦋 notebook 📒. I’ve had it since I was 14 and writing my first set of care plans. I think it’s incredibly important that I have a safe place where I can write down all these thoughts 💭 and also that my loved ones know where to find these thoughts, should they need to read them. I ended up writing something that sums up my attitude to memorialisation. My challenge to you today, on day two of Dying Matters Week, is to write one paragraph about how and what you want to be remembered and celebrated about yourself. #dyingmattersweek #letstalkaboutdeath #endoflifecareplanning #funeralplanning #palliativecarewarrior #writeitdown #mytrustybutterflynotebook #todaystheme #memorialisation #howdoyouwanttoberemembered #todayschallenge #writeitdown (at Cardiff) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdVFeJBaJn/?igshid=chw1libygxjc

So today’s theme for Dying Matters Week is memorialisation, and I just happened to have a meeting with my Ty Hafan Family Support Worker to discuss my end of life care plan. That resulted in me spending an hour or so in the garden this evening writing down everything to do with my dying, death and funeral that came to mind. I stopped when I started to get a bit upset. For as long as I can remember, anything I’ve written like this has gone in my butterfly 🦋 notebook 📒. I’ve had it since I was 14 and writing my first set of care plans. I think it’s incredibly important that I have a safe place where I can write down all these thoughts 💭 and also that my loved ones know where to find these thoughts, should they need to read them. I ended up writing something that sums up my attitude to memorialisation. My challenge to you today, on day two of Dying Matters Week, is to write one paragraph about how and what you want to be remembered and celebrated about yourself. #dyingmattersweek #letstalkaboutdeath #endoflifecareplanning #funeralplanning #palliativecarewarrior #writeitdown #mytrustybutterflynotebook #todaystheme #memorialisation #howdoyouwanttoberemembered #todayschallenge #writeitdown (at Cardiff) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdVFeJBaJn/?igshid=chw1libygxjc

neither here nor there. life is loosing it‘s grip; isn‘t ready to let go yet, but death is waiting patiently. #growingold #lastjourney #letstalkaboutdeath #family

For efficient predators, electric eels have surprising cute faces... Epilogue illustration from Death on Earth by Jules Howard out now from Bloomsbury Sigma. #whowantstoliveforever #bloomsburysigma #deathonearth #letstalkaboutdeath #eel #electriceel #nature #newbooks #naturalhistory #science #animals

The immortal jellyfish 😊 such a beautiful, weird, ethereal creature. They are also super cool because their lifecycle kind of goes backwards...you'll have to read the book for a better explanation! Chapter 16 illustration from Death on Earth by Jules Howard, out now from Bloomsbury Sigma. #newbooks #animals #nature #letstalkaboutdeath #ageing #science #juleshoward #deathonearth #bloomsburysigma #jellyfish #whowantstoliveforever

I love toads :) at this time of year in the U.K. they are migrating back to their breeding ponds, and unfortunately often getting squished by cars on the way. The brilliant charity Froglife coordinates Toads on Roads volunteers who help them to safety on damp Spring evenings... Chapter 12 illustration from Death on Earth by Jules Howard, out now from Bloomsbury Sigma. #bloomsburysigma #juleshoward #deathonearth #letstalkaboutdeath #toads #toadsonroads #amphibian #migration #spring #pleasebreakfortoads