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Hello Neil fans, I'm sure you're all wondering how we're doing. And I can honestly say we're doing okay. Much better than expected. And much better than everyone else seems to be.
Thank you for all your kind well wishes, sympathy cards, flowers and other gifts especially of the champagne kind, please send more..... Just kidding!
Everyone we bump into seems to be more sad than we are. I think that's a lot to do with the anxiety of thinking how we must be feeling when they see us. We've mourned Neil for many months now and as Mum has said, she's been missing 'her Neil' for a long time. Neil being the fighter that he was has given us time. Time to be with him, to love him and time to prepare for his eventual passing. I'm sure it hasn't fully sunk in yet but we're at least at peace with him leaving us pain free.
Talking of being prepared, Neil the planner that he was, has planned his final PARTY! As you've probably read, this will be at the Eden Project. A place that Neil loved, even before he started working there as a rock star maintenance carpenter or 'gentleman carpenter' as Neil referred to as his position.
Neil's Celebration will be on the 3rd Feb at 3pm in The Gallery at The Eden Project.
Please RSVP here so we have an idea of numbers.
We request you to wear the brightest clothes you own in homage to The King of Parties' loud shirt wearing and famous socks. Please also keep your music (Spotify Playlist) and photos (lauren.beard150291@gmail.com) coming for us to play on the day.
Neil wasn't very religious so didn't have a lot of dying wishes. What he did wish for was a big party with lots of people so please come if you can.
Neil also wished to donate his body to The University of Bristol so that surgeons could practise on his body. Since the Cancer meant he couldn't donate his organs, the selfless man that Neil was thought this was the only way he could donate to science. Sadly, his cancer got the better of his final wish. Neil was too jaundiced in his final days to be taken to The University of Bristol and so will instead be cremated in the morning of the celebration on Feb 3rd.
The Committal will be very close family at just 12 of us and we will drive past The Eden Project on the way for Neil to say his final goodbyes. We will bury Neil's ashes in a place very special to Mum and Neil where Neil can overlook his stomping ground of St Austell Bay and Bugle.
The 'It's Cancer not Covid' blog has seen readers from across the globe visit the website and 2000 readers have read my latest blog, 'See ya kids' regarding Neil's passing. You'll all be pleased to know, the death certificate has no signs of Covid even though it's still very apparent in our lives some 2 years on.
Since a lot of you are a bit far away, we understand you won't be able to make the party but please have us and Neil in your thoughts on Feb 3. Raise a glass to a happy, colourful life.
As my University friends wrote in their card to me, 'NEIL WAS THE BEST'.
Lauren x