Why Life’s Last Wishes was born?
My father was diagnosed with cancer and given 2 years to live. He was in his early 60’s. I was trying to come around to accepting the diagnosis, as was he, when, 8 days after being told he had cancer, he died. He died still wanting to live, asking where the 2 years went, where his time went. It was hard. To lose my father like that, it was devastating. You know what made that time even harder? Having to make decisions for him about his wishes for after his death, without knowing what his wishes were. Having to decide whether to bury or cremate – what would he have wanted? Church service? Flowers? What songs would he have liked to have been played?
Sitting on the computer at midnight the night before the funeral, four siblings who had just lost their father, trying to decide and agree on music for the service. What would he want, what were his last wishes? It went further than that. Where was his will? We know he had one, but it’s a few years on now, and we still haven’t found it. Bank accounts – who did he bank with? Social media accounts – what did he want done with these? We can’t agree.
You get the point. In our grief, the last thing we need is to be put in a position where we are making decisions for our lost loved ones without having a full understanding of what they would have wanted. We don’t want to get that wrong. We also don’t want to burden our loved ones with that stress on top of their grief. So it was after my father passed and after the ordeal of having to make decisions about his last wishes without knowing what they were, that I vowed I would never put my loved ones through that same situation. I would record what my last wishes were and leave that for them, so that when the time came, in their grief they wouldn’t have to play a guessing game around what my last wishes might have been.
That's how Life’s Last Wishes was born. It was born to help us make sure our wishes are known when we die, and to relieve our loved ones of the burden of having to decide for us.
Life’s Last Wishes is the single greatest gift you can give your loved ones.
Well that’s a big question – let’s start here. I’m a writer, an adventurer and a traveller, a corporate leader, a student and a teacher. I’ve spent most of my career in senior executive positions in the corporate and public sector and whilst I remain there for the time being, of recent times I’ve been growing, learning and developing in areas that really light me up. My focus these days is to devote myself to what lights a fire in my heart. To serve something greater than myself. To share the wisdom and learnings I’ve gained through my journey and my experiences, to support others on their journey to be their best selves. I’m also focussed on having awesome fun, laughing and sharing with others. I’m committed to connecting with other spiritual beings on their journey and to understanding myself through them.
My passion right now is to do what I can to ensure no-one else needs to be in the situation I was in with my father’s death. I hope, through Life’s Last Wishes, to provide a vehicle to open up conversations with loved ones, to provide an avenue for self-reflection, and to help you and others to leave a legacy. Ultimately, my living wish is to help you to give your loved ones the greatest gift of all.
I love travel and trekking and to honour this I travel and trek as much as I can. I annually guide groups across the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, have summited Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt Kinabalu in Borneo and trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. I have completed a 920km pilgrimage across Spain, just me and my backpack, and recently walked the Kumano Kodo in Japan. More than anything, I love my family and friends – they’re my greatest loves, my greatest support and my greatest teachers.
"Let your life be your message" Mahatma Gandhi
I hope you enjoy the journey that Life’s Last Wishes provides you.
With love,
