Help me fund my own DIY funeral
Donation protected
Greetings, my name is Wayne, i'm 42 years old, i'm just a regular guy who likes punk rock, going to gigs, watching wrestling and travelling. Unfortunatly i can no longer do most of these.
About a 6 weeks ago i was diagnosed with colon cancer which due to late diagnosis is inoperable. Hopefully i'm started a 6 week chemotherapy course to see if it can be shrinked, if that works all well and good. If not and i just continue on painkilling medications the doctor said i have a maximum of 6-9 months left if i'm lucky.
20 year ago i had similar bowel problems when i was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs disease, i spent 8 weeks in hospital, most of it in intensive care as they battled to save me from death. I should of been dead then but they saved me which i'm grateful for.
So since that recovery i've just lived day to day and done what i want, when i want. I've lived alone for most of that period, i like it that way as i can do my own stuff and have no one to answer to.
I live my life day to day, hand to mouth, i have no savings, no family of my own to provide for so i just live my life around the DIY punk rock ethos . Why let someone else do it if you can Do It Yourself.
So after family members saying i need to write a will i started looking into funerals. My retired mother is stressing about funeral costs and being left with a huge bill again after burying her brother a couple of years ago. So rather than her having to go through all that i've been looking into sorting out my own funeral punk rock DIY style. It's kind of exciting doing it otherwise i'd end up just getting a black tie tradtional funeral if it was left up to someone else. I'm a quirky lad so i want something different and something to amuse me and my guests on the fateful day.
So after reading an article in the Guardian about funeral costs which features this quote...
"The average cost now stands at £3,456, having risen 80% since 2004. Once you include the extras such as flowers, wreaths, catering and venue hire (around an additional £2,000), it brings the bill up to a staggering £5,502. Researchers at the University of Bath estimate one in five families experiences a shortfall when it comes to paying."
I and my family can't afford that so after further reading that and other articles at the Natural Death Centre website it seems you can do it for a lot less if you do it yourself so i'm gonna give it a go. I'm going to buy my own coffin, and set up everything else i need to do so it's less stressful for my mother when i eventually shuffle off this mortal coil. It gives me something to do since i'm virtually bedbound and have been for about 3 months now.
So i reckon i can organise my own funeral for about half the price of the average cost of £5. 502. I'm entitled to a £700 grant from the government for costs towards it so i reckon if i could raise another £2000 we could have it all covered easily.
So that's what i'm trying to do, lets give it a shot DIY style.
Thanks for reading.
Wayne
"You may bury me with an enemy in mount calvary
You can stack me on a pyre and soak me down with whiskey
Roast me to a blackened crisp and throw me in a pile
I don't really give a shit i'm going out in style
You can take my urn to fenway spread my ashes all about
Or you can bring me down to wolly beach and dump the sucker out
Burn me to a rotten crisp and toast me for a while
I don't really give a shit i'm going out in style".
Dropkick Murphys - Going out in style lyrics 2011
About a 6 weeks ago i was diagnosed with colon cancer which due to late diagnosis is inoperable. Hopefully i'm started a 6 week chemotherapy course to see if it can be shrinked, if that works all well and good. If not and i just continue on painkilling medications the doctor said i have a maximum of 6-9 months left if i'm lucky.
20 year ago i had similar bowel problems when i was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs disease, i spent 8 weeks in hospital, most of it in intensive care as they battled to save me from death. I should of been dead then but they saved me which i'm grateful for.
So since that recovery i've just lived day to day and done what i want, when i want. I've lived alone for most of that period, i like it that way as i can do my own stuff and have no one to answer to.
I live my life day to day, hand to mouth, i have no savings, no family of my own to provide for so i just live my life around the DIY punk rock ethos . Why let someone else do it if you can Do It Yourself.
So after family members saying i need to write a will i started looking into funerals. My retired mother is stressing about funeral costs and being left with a huge bill again after burying her brother a couple of years ago. So rather than her having to go through all that i've been looking into sorting out my own funeral punk rock DIY style. It's kind of exciting doing it otherwise i'd end up just getting a black tie tradtional funeral if it was left up to someone else. I'm a quirky lad so i want something different and something to amuse me and my guests on the fateful day.
So after reading an article in the Guardian about funeral costs which features this quote...
"The average cost now stands at £3,456, having risen 80% since 2004. Once you include the extras such as flowers, wreaths, catering and venue hire (around an additional £2,000), it brings the bill up to a staggering £5,502. Researchers at the University of Bath estimate one in five families experiences a shortfall when it comes to paying."
I and my family can't afford that so after further reading that and other articles at the Natural Death Centre website it seems you can do it for a lot less if you do it yourself so i'm gonna give it a go. I'm going to buy my own coffin, and set up everything else i need to do so it's less stressful for my mother when i eventually shuffle off this mortal coil. It gives me something to do since i'm virtually bedbound and have been for about 3 months now.
So i reckon i can organise my own funeral for about half the price of the average cost of £5. 502. I'm entitled to a £700 grant from the government for costs towards it so i reckon if i could raise another £2000 we could have it all covered easily.
So that's what i'm trying to do, lets give it a shot DIY style.
Thanks for reading.
Wayne
"You may bury me with an enemy in mount calvary
You can stack me on a pyre and soak me down with whiskey
Roast me to a blackened crisp and throw me in a pile
I don't really give a shit i'm going out in style
You can take my urn to fenway spread my ashes all about
Or you can bring me down to wolly beach and dump the sucker out
Burn me to a rotten crisp and toast me for a while
I don't really give a shit i'm going out in style".
Dropkick Murphys - Going out in style lyrics 2011
Organizer
Wayne Leighton
Organizer
