27-year-old who died of cancer left behind final advice that has the internet in tears

Facebook / Remembering Holly Butcher

The world said goodbye to Holly Butcher, a 27-year-old woman from Grafton, Australia.

Butcher had been battling Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that predominantly affects young people. In a statement posted on Butcher's memorialized Facebook account, her brother, Dean, and partner, Luke, confirmed the heartbreaking news to friends.

"It is with great sadness that we announce Holly's passing in the early hours of this morning," they wrote on Jan. 4, 2018. "After enduring so much, it was finally time for her to say goodbye to us all. The end was short and peaceful; she looked serene when we kissed her forehead and said our final farewells. As you would expect, Holly prepared a short message for you all, which will be posted above."

Butcher's message, which Dean and Luke did, in fact, post publicly shortly thereafter, has brought the internet to tears.

Photo courtesy of Remembering Holly Butcher/Facebook used with permission.

Keep Reading Show less
australia cancer death advice grief
More

Ever felt guilty for grieving more over a dog than a relative? This story is for you.

Recently, my wife and I went through one of the more excruciating experiences of our lives – the euthanasia of our beloved dog, Murphy.

I remember making eye contact with Murphy moments before she took her last breath – she flashed me a look that was an endearing blend of confusion and the reassurance that everyone was OK because we were both by her side.

When people who have never had a dog see their dog-owning friends mourn the loss of a pet, they probably think it’s all a bit of an overreaction; after all, it’s “just a dog.”

Keep Reading Show less
dogs pets grief the conversation
More

Here's how one woman helped her friend's son cope with his mother's death.

N.J.’s eyes are dark and deep as he kneels in the garden, hands wrapped gently around the kale seedling.

We line peas on either side of the fencing I’ve brought, and I show him how to press each one down to the first knuckle on his index finger and then pat the soft dirt over the hole. The tomato plant doesn’t want to come out of the container. It’s root-bound, clinging to the pot; I tap the edges to loosen it and pull slowly on the stem.

“Plants are tough,“ I say, as I slice the roots with the edge of the trowel and then let him do the same thing to the other side. We wiggle the tangly, knotted white roots loose, and then he sets it in the hole we dug, snuggling it in and combing the soil with his fingers. Finally, we dot the front of the box with onion starts and poke them in, some of them already sprouting little green shoots from their tops.

Keep Reading Show less
cancer children death grief loss illness friendship gardening
More

A true friend, Busy Philipps knew what to do on the 10-year mark of Heath Ledger's death.

Actresses Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps have been best friends for decades.

Philipps (left) and Williams. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

They met on the set of "Dawson's Creek" in the late 1990s and have had each other's backs ever since.

Keep Reading Show less
hollywood support death friends overdose grief anniversary busy philipps heath ledger michelle williams 10 years
Most Shared