‘Each day is a gift’

Holly Butcher was just 27 when her life was cut short by cancer. Before her death, she penned an emotional letter about the joy of living...

Earlier this year, E terminally ill Holly Butcher made headlines when a moving note she had written about living life to the full went viral.

Holly, 27, had been battling Ewing’s sarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer – when she jotted down her thoughts leading up to her own death. Her family posted her notes after she had died.

HOLLY’S MESSAGE

“Life is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right,” wrote the dietician, from New South Wales in Australia. “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. Let all that s**t go.”

Holly was passionate about healthy living, and playing competitive hockey and squash. So it was a shock when, after experiencing a pain in her knee, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer in October 2016.

“She ate all the right foods, she exercised regularly and didn’t drink much alcohol,” her older brother Dean, 30, explained after her death. “But that’s the thing about cancer... it’s non-discriminatory.”

BEAUTIFUL LEGACY

A week after Holly lost her battle with the disease, 800 people attended her memorial service – which she had planned herself.

Mourners wore multicolours, and Holly’s beautiful and heartbreaking message was read out. Holly’s inspiring words have been shared over 150,000 times, and her family are so proud. “She left us with a powerful message that has resonated with people from all walks of life,” said Dean. “That will always be her legacy.”