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Mother leaves her family a heartbreaking letter after she passed away from Cancer.


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Heather McManamy, 36, left an emotional letter for her husband, friends and young daughter Brianna when she passed away.

Her husband shared the letter on Facebook and it has since been shared more than 18,000 times and liked more than 8,000.

“Hello all, I am posting this on behalf of the love of my life. These are her words. Much love to all. – Jeff McManamy”

heather m

“So…I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, apparently, I’m dead. Good news, if you’re reading this, is that you are most definitely not (unless they have wifi in the afterlife). Yes, this sucks. It sucks beyond words, but I’m just so damn glad I lived a life so full of love, joy and amazing friends. I am lucky to honestly say that I have zero regrets and I spent every ounce of energy I had living life to the fullest. I love you all and thank you for this awesome life.

Whatever religion brings you comfort, I am happy that you have that. However, respect that we are not religious. Please, please, please do not tell Brianna that I am in heaven. In her mind, that means that I chose to be somewhere else and left her. In reality, I did everything I could to be here with her, as there is nowhere, NOWHERE, I would rather be than with her and Jeff. Please don’t confuse her and let her think for one second that is not true. Because, I am not in heaven. I’m here. But no longer in the crappy body that turned against me. My energy, my love, my laughter, those incredible memories, it’s all here with you. Please don’t think of me with pity or sadness. Smile, knowing that we had a blast together and that time was AMAZING. I fucking hate making people sad. More than anything, I love making people laugh and smile, so please, rather than dwelling on the tragic Terms of Endearment end of my story, laugh at the memories we made and the fun we had. Please tell Brianna stories, so she knows how much I love her and how proud of her I will always be (and make me sound waaay cooler than I am). Because I love nothing more than being her mommy. Nothing. Every moment with her was a happiness I couldn’t even imagine until she came crashing into our world.

And don’t say I lost to cancer. Because cancer may have taken almost everything from me, but it never took my love or my hope or my joy. It wasn’t a “battle” it was just life, which is often brutally random and unfair, and that’s simply how it goes sometimes. I didn’t lose, dammit. The way I lived for years with cancer is something I consider a pretty big victory. Please remember that.

Most importantly, I was unbelievably lucky to spend over a decade with the love of my life and my best friend, Jeff. True love and soulmates do exist. Every day was full of hilarity and love with Jeff by my side. He is genuinely the best husband in the universe. Through all my cancer crap, he never wavered when so many people would want to run. Even on the worst days you could imagine, we found a way to laugh together. I love him more than life itself and I truly believe that a love like that is so special it will live forever. Time is the most precious thing in this world and to have shared my life for so long with Jeff is something I am incredibly grateful for. I love you, Jeff. I believe that the awesomeness that is Brianna is our love brought to life, which is pretty beautiful. It absolutely breaks my heart to have to say goodbye. If it’s half as sad for you as it is for me, it breaks my heart over again because the last thing I ever want to do is make you sad. I hope that with time, you can think of me and smile and laugh, because, holy shit did we have a breathtaking life. Go google Physicist’s Eulogy and know that it is a scientific fact I will always be with you both in some way. I know that if you just stop and look hard enough, I’ll be with there (in as non-creepy a way possible). You’re my world and I loved every second we had together more than words.

Friends, I love you all and thank you for the most wonderfully awe-inspiring life. And thank you to all of my amazing doctors and nurses who have taken such incredible care of me. I don’t doubt that my team gave me every possible good day that they could. From the bottom of my heart, I wish all my friends long, healthy lives and I hope you can experience the same appreciation for the gift of each day that I did. If you go to my funeral, please run up a bar tab that would make me proud. Heck, blast “Keg on My Coffin” and dance on the bar for me (because there had better be a dance party at some point). Celebrate the beauty of life with a kickass party because you know that’s what I want and I believe that in a weird way, I will find a way to be there too (you know how much I hate missing out on fun). I look forward to haunting each one of you, so this isn’t so much a goodbye as it is see you later Please do me a favor and take a few minutes each day to acknowledge the fragile adventure that is this crazy life. Don’t ever forget: every day matters.”

No words. Just tears.  Best wishes to her family. What a woman!

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  • She was definitely a strong woman to the end. Never stopped thinking of her family and friends. I hope there was a wonderful party to celebrate her life.

    Reply

  • This is inspiring, as well as sad. It’s heartbreaking how cruel life can be. This woman had what I’ve always longed for and am still looking for; her soulmate. True love. And yet it was taken away. Very cruel. I love how she didn’t want anyone to be sad, and the humour in her letter. Very clever and inspiring. I hope she does get to haunt everyone like she said.

    Reply

  • my gosh, what a heartbreaker for a sunday night! wish Dad had left me a letter to treasure. Not his thing, but I would have loved it x

    Reply

  • Wow. That is a very powerful letter. I hope it brings comfort to her family.
    My thoughts are with them

    Reply

  • WOW that is sooo touching …Although she has passed it is really wonderful that she relayed her wishes to her family and friends, and the part of her letter about heaven was interesting,

    Truly an amazing woman and I am sure her presence is felt every day.

    Reply

  • What a wonderful lady she was and still is! My darling mum had that take on life as well. She died of cancer but even on her worst days she would say” there are so many people so much worse off than me. I am so lucky to have your dad and you and the grandchildren and all the family and a lovely comfy bed to sleep in. Think of all those people that have not got a roof over their head or someone to love.”

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  • A letter her family will always treasure and get comfort from reading.

    Reply

  • Such a wonderfully written letter that they will treasure forever. How heart breaking it would be both reading and writing, thinking of them at this time of year

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  • I’m crying after reading this letter. She was such a special woman. I love what she wrote, the love she expressed in every single word. It must have been fantastic to share a life with her.

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  • So very tre and so very real and powerful. I bet they read that again and again. I am sure they will never forget such a great mum.

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  • Such a beautiful and sad message. Her family will always have some wise and beautiful words to cherish.

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  • that is beautiful and sad. wow. she really thinks about things different and wants people to remember her well. her family know that they are loved for sure.

    Reply

  • Like hd

    Reply

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