Comments for Dying For Beginners

Comment on Jade Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) and Controversial Dying by Jason

Jason — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:59:58 +0000

Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve fixed it.

Comment on Final Resting Places by Dr Frank McLeod

Dr Frank McLeod — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:18:11 +0000

My brother died in 2000, aged 68 and wished for his ashes to be spread on a Sydney beach. Given the texture of ashes, that was not possible without offence to others, so with his partner’s consent, he now resides in a dam at the back of my home. I trust he is assisting in the regeneration of the local water birds.

I say this with no sense of facile humour, but a true belief that this is what nature is all about – in the end, the world is its own recycler.

I wish I had met Jessica during her life. She would have been a joy and an education to know.

Frank

Comment on Jade Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) and Controversial Dying by lacey

lacey — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:06:10 +0000

Her name is Jade Goody , Not ‘Jane’ !

Thankyou

Comment on Jade Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) and Controversial Dying by Moments of decision

Moments of decision — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:43:55 +0000

I have to agree whole heartidly with what you have written.
Maybe partly it’s that Taboo thing a lot of people have been bought up with around death.
I think it is time for rethinking our whole approach.
Years back ,no TV ,no big media thing.So we still maybe have hang ups thinking that people were more ‘Polite’ about the issue when it was simply that option wasn’t there.
Many cultures embrace the dying process and incorporate it into the Life Journey. Some have a song that they are sung into life with and it is used at each major life passage including being sung to with it while dying. How comforting I think.
As for her making money to leave her children while she is at it. Dam good on her.A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
Lets have a page discribing all the amazing varieties of the cerominies perhaps.The maybe people will expand their comfort zones and kiddies wont have so many horrors about it.
Leaving out the Dave Allen version I saw on a recent video of course.

Comment on Final Resting Places by Moments of decision

Moments of decision — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:49:50 +0000

What a trully beautiful thing to do.
If only those things that had the masses approval were done we would be in a very different world than we are now.
A bleaker one too I imagine.
I really am no expert on human remains ,I still remain using mine at the moment and hope they will one day be dispersed with love, joy ,and a sense of adventure.
What a way to honour Jessica.
I think that having been placed with love that is the only way they could be found.
Maybe by now some local animal may have rolled his thickly furred body on them and they together are running, galloping or hopping accross some wilde pastures.
Blessed be and in peace she is free.

Comment on Brave Battle With Cancer? by Jeff Dennis

Jeff Dennis — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:22:55 +0000

Jason,
I`ve just watched the rerun of the Australian Story about Jess.I lost my only child Tess with a similar cancer [small round cell]in 2002 at the same age of 24yrs[01-01-78 to 16-06-02],she too went to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane.Tess & Jess shared a lot of things in common like wanting to travel etc,some of the pictures, expressions and word`s of Jess reminded me so much of Tess.Being her carer I know better than most what you went through especially in the final day`s,only Tess died at her home but also with dignity.Life will never be the same again for either of us,all we can do is live the life`s they would want us too.

Comment on The post I’ll never need to post, by Jessica Horton nee Disteldorf by Jennifer Sciberras

Jennifer Sciberras — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:13:32 +0000

I’d like to leave a message for Amy….. Among the other special, wonderful people Jess was fortunate enough to have in her life, I think you are just so amazing. Jess was lucky to have you as her best friend and if I ever had a best mate half as varing and compassionate as you, I think myself to be the most fortunate person in the world. I was particularly touched watching your farewell on Australian Story. I have a sense that the adventures you sought and experienced were shared by Jess as well, in the sense that you were doing this FOR her, but also in the sense that our loved ones only get closer to us after they pass away. I truly believe this.

Comment on Brave Battle With Cancer? by Howard D

Howard D — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:21:13 +0000

I’ve read all that precedes. Thank you for the insights. I will do my best to advance Jason’s hope that ‘dignity’ catches on.

May I ask the board’s opinion as to whether ‘courage’ and ’strong’ fit broadly into the same category as ‘brave’?

Comment on Brave Battle With Cancer? by Mike T

Mike T — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:23:38 +0000

Dignity. That works.

Comment on Brave Battle With Cancer? by Lorraine

Lorraine — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:08:30 +0000

Jason,
thank you for opening this discussion. I do think that my son Silas was extremely brave, but felt that was who he was in life. As a journalism major, he asked the tough questions to political candidates, and told his fellow student Amy to “be brave” as she ventured forward. But I just don’t like that there is no right word for people who don’t survive their cancer. Dignity is a good word ~ in fact, when my friend Marina, who is a nurse and became close to Silas as she helped him through medical issues at home, spoke at Sy’s “celebration of life” ceremony, she said that Silas did the ultimate thing we all strive to do, “he died with dignity.” Your Jessica is so beautiful ~ what a gift to have had her in your life. It just sucks to have these wonderful people taken by this horrible disease. I won’t tell you to “be brave”, people tell me that I am stronger than I think, and I feel like it is a bad joke….. But take care, as best as you can