Ashley Kuzma (32) fought cancer for two years, but the disease prevailed. Just before her death, the teacher from the US state of Pennsylvania wrote a moving death report urging people to “enjoy life and not worry about trivial things.”
The 32-year-old woman died in a hospital on September 22 after a long agony. But before her death, she wrote a catchy death notice to facilitate the processing of those left behind.
“If you have recurring laryngeal cancer (larynx cancer) you have a lot of time to think about death,” it sounds. “The good thing is that I no longer have to worry about saving for my retirement, paying off student loans or preventing skin cancer.”
“A positive consequence of the recurring cancer was that it taught me to let go of trivialities and just enjoy the people around me and the places I visited.”
Ashley was told on June 2017 that she had cancer after she regularly suffered from severe sore throat and hoarseness. She underwent radiation treatment and was operated on. The tumors initially disappeared but returned the following year.
Her salivary glands were also affected. Doctors were forced to remove the larynx and the vocal cords surgically. Then followed chemo.
After cancer had reared its head for the fourth time, she undertook a wonderful trip to Mexico. “I am extremely grateful for the life I have lived. I was lucky to have a loving family, good friends, a great job and a house that I could call mine,” wrote Ashley.
The woman said she loved to read, to travel, to wine tasting, to relax on her father’s boat and to cuddle her cats. “Some of my favorite memories during family holidays include admiring the Grand Canyon and enjoying the sun, sea, and beach,” it said in the obituary.
It is her wish that people stop worrying about trivialities. “Do what is important to you. Relax and enjoy the company of the people around you,” she concluded.
