A young woman’s heartbreaking letter of advice has been shared online by family hours after cancer took her life.
Holly Butcher wrote a letter to the world about how to cherish every day in the moments leading up to her own death.
The 27-year-old died on Thursday after a battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer in and around the bones.
Ms Butcher, from Grafton, NSW, wrote it was strange to accept death at a young age because she imagined growing old.
‘That’s the thing about life, it is fragile, precious, unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right,’ she wrote.
Holly Butcher (pictured) wrote a letter to the world about how to cherish every day in the moments leading up to her own death
The 27-year-old (pictured right) died on Thursday after a battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer in and around the bones, and shared her life advice in a touching letter
‘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 young woman said she wanted people to stop worrying about the ‘meaningless stresses in life’ like getting stuck in traffic or having a wobbly belly and think about someone facing more challenging problems.
‘Let all that s*** go … it is so insignificant when you look at life as a whole,’ she wrote.
‘Take a big breath of that fresh Aussie air deep in your lungs, look at how blue the sky is and how green the trees are … think how lucky you are to be able to do just that – breathe.’
Ms Butcher, who represented the state in squash and hockey, said she watched her body waste away and reminded people to be grateful they aren’t suffering life threatening illnesses.
Wanting people to value time more, the 27-year-old wrote that people should ‘share their time’ with friends and family and use money on experiences rather than buying a new outfit.
‘That’s the thing about life, it is fragile, precious, unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right,’ Ms Butcher (pictured) wrote
The young woman, who encouraged people to ‘work to live not live to work’, also reminded everyone to donate blood in the signing off of her life advice
‘Don’t miss out on experiences because you spent all your money on material s***,’ Ms Butcher wrote.
‘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.’
The young woman, who encouraged people to ‘work to live not live to work’, also reminded everyone to donate blood in the signing off of her life advice.
‘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,’ Ms Butcher wrote.
‘A year I had some of the greatest times of my life.’