A Mother Penned Her Own Heartbreaking Obituary

If ever there were a way to ensure your legacy leave a lasting impression, this mother has done it. While losing her battle with biliary cancer, 44-year-old mother and wife Beth O'Rourke wrote her own obituary, and you’d be wise to grab the tissues now. In it, she thanks her loving husband, her two children Courtney, 11, and Seamus, 8, and her team of caregivers and colleagues who “cared for me during this journey.” She was a nurse, and added, “It was not easy for me to be a care receiver, but we forged a path for me that brought me further than most would have imagined.”

According to 2012 data collected by SEER and published by the National Cancer Institute, approximately 0.9 percent of American men and women will be diagnosed with liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer during their lifetime, for which the survival rate of more than five years hovers just above 17 percent. In her obit, O'Rourke calls herself a survivor, referring to her seven year battle with cancer. Her husband Brendan O'Rourke reportedly told ABC News that penning her own letter was “typical Beth,” adding, "It's pretty amazing to think that someone could write that before passing away. It's pretty amazing. Beth was amazing.”

A passage from her obituary reads:

Of all the things I did in this life, nothing compared to being with Brendan and our children. I fought every day to stay alive and to be with them. No person could ever ask for a more loving and supportive husband, always my champion, always. I enjoyed every moment we shared; the great ones, the sad ones, the easy and the hard. I pray they have learned to feel the deep sense of faith that I shared. No matter where this journey brings me next, I will forever carry their love with me, as I am sure there is a piece of me that will forever remain with them.

But cancer does not care who it takes, who it hurts, or honor or love. It comes into your life and starts to break the threads that hold you and you are left to see pieces of yourself slip away and dreams fade. We were clung only to each other with pure love and faith binding us, in the end is when the most amazing thing happens, cancer loses its strength and grace appears. We need to see it. We accept it, and go with it. Grace and love win, not cancer.

I hope to be remembered, with laughter, love and a good pint. And for my children to know "No Momma ever did and no Momma ever will….."

In her closing remarks, Beth asked that her memory be honored by donating to a GoFundMe page that will fund the future educations of her children. “Many of you have asked what you can do for Brendan and the kids,” says the page. “We have set up this fund for the children's education, something that was very important to Beth.” Read Beth’s obituary in full here.