In her dying moments, 27-year-old cancer patient Holly Butcher has written a moving letter offering life advice and encouraging readers to "help each other more" through regular blood donations.
Her family posted the letter in her memorialized Facebook profile on Jan. 4, right when she lost her battle with a rare form of cancer called Ewing sarcoma. It has now gone viral, with more than 50,000 shares and 65,000 reactions four days after Butcher passed away.
Dying Patient Tells Readers To Complain Less, Help Each Other More
Butcher, a native of Grafton in New South Wales, Australia, wrote candidly on multiple topics ranging from health to punctuality. She even included a detailed list of experiences one should invest in instead of material things. However, her letter simply focuses on one main point and that makes one's life worth living as death is inevitable.
She encouraged her readers to complain less and to help each other more, testifying that one gains more happiness when making sacrifices for the sake of others. She then went on to thank her family, friends, and even strangers who have shown her kindness and generosity.
"You don't know how much time you've got on this earth so don't waste it being miserable. I know that is said all the time but it couldn't be more true," she stated in the message.
To close her letter, Butcher encouraged the reader to perform a good deed by donating blood. She noted that each donation can actually save three lives, sharing that she was able to live for one more year through blood donation.
Australian Red Cross Responds To Butcher's Inspiring Letter
Butcher's letter has caught the attention of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, which is calling for more blood or plasma donations especially on long weekends. Apparently, blood banks run out of supply during extended weekends as their regular donors are not around.
"If you are thinking of adding blood donation to your list of your New Year's resolutions, and you're looking for a time to make an impact, we would ask that you give your whole blood or plasma around Australia Day long weekend," relates the organization's spokesman Shaun Inguanzo in a report.
Rare Cancer Ewing Sarcoma Targets Young People
Butcher suffered from a kind of tumor that forms around bones and soft tissues of the legs, feet, arms, hands, chest, abdominal cavity, and skull. It is most prevalent among adolescents and younger adults.
To make a diagnosis, The National Cancer Institute states that tissue samples must be removed through a biopsy. They will then be inspected under the microscope to check for signs of cancer. The agency recommends getting a biopsy in the same facility where treatment will be made.
For early detection, one must look out for signs and symptoms such as pain or swelling in body parts targeted by the disease, presence of a soft and warm lump, inexplicable fever, and bone breakage without any apparent health reasons.
