Young NSW woman's open letter to the world shared following her death
The family of a young NSW woman who passed away after a long battle with cancer has shared a heartbreaking letter she wrote in a bid to warn her generation not to take life for granted.
Holly Butcher, 27, from Grafton, fell victim to Ewing's sarcoma, a cancer that affects the body's bones, on Thursday.
In the wake of her death, her family took to her Facebook account to share a detailed letter she penned urging the youth of today to not waste their lives "being miserable" or staring at a screen.
She described how she felt it difficult to give up her life she loved at such a young age and warned others to embrace their own as no one knows what's around the corner.
"I just want people to stop worrying so much about the small, meaningless stresses in life and try to remember that we all have the same fate after it all so do what you can to make your time feel worthy and great," she wrote.
Butcher, who had represented her state in squash and hockey, was described by her brother Dean as being courageous and very giving, The Daily Examiner reported.
She warned others not to get hung up on minor things that are "so insignificant" and just be happy with the things you can actually do.
"I hear people complaining about how terrible work is or about how hard it is to exercise - Be grateful you are physically able to.
"Work and exercise may seem like such trivial things... until your body doesn’t allow you to do either of them."
She also warned the latest generation to live the moment rather than documenting it through technology.
"Try 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!"
And her final message was making sure people do what truly makes you happy and if you're not, make a change.
"You do have the power to change it - in work or love or whatever it may be. Have the guts to change.
"You don’t know how much time you’ve got on this earth so don’t waste it being miserable."
