‘Each day is a gift’: Woman’s heartbreaking letter goes viral after her death at age 27

The note was shared by her family on Facebook 

Sarah Young
Sunday 07 January 2018 12:03 GMT
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(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A moving letter written by a dying woman has gone viral after she sadly passed away last week.

On January 4, Holly Butcher, 27, from Grafton, in New South Wales, Australia, lost her battle with Ewing’s sarcoma – a rare form of cancer in and around the bones that affects mostly young people.

But, before she died, the woman penned a letter to the world which she asked her family to post on her Facebook account.

“It’s a strange thing to realise and accept your mortality at 26 years young,” she wrote.

“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’m 27 now. I don’t want to go. I love my life.”

The heartbreaking note has received more than 21,000 shares and 28,000 reactions in just a few days.

In the letter of life advice, Butcher goes on to explain that people should stop worrying about the “meaningless stresses in life” such as getting stuck in traffic, having cellulite or a “wobbly belly”, and instead think about someone who is going through more challenging problems.

“Let all that s*** go ... it is so insignificant when you look at life as a whole,” she explains.

“Appreciate your good health and functioning body- even if it isn’t your ideal size.

“Look after it and embrace how amazing it is. Move it and nourish it with fresh food. Don’t obsess over it."

The young woman also wrote that people should spend as much time as they can with friends and family and learn to live life for themselves rather than through a screen.

“Don't miss out on experiences because you spent all your money on material s***,” she added.

“Trust just enjoying and being in moments rather than capturing them through the screen of your phone.

“Life isn't meant to be lived through a screen nor is it about getting the perfect photo ... enjoy the bloody moment people!

“Stop trying to capture it for everyone else.”

Finally, Butcher signed off the touching note by asking everyone to donate blood.

“Blood donation ... helped keep me alive for an extra year - a year I will be forever grateful that I got to spend it here on earth with my family, friends and dog,.

“A year I had some of the greatest times of my life.”

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