A funeral is usually a sad and melancholy event for someone's loved ones to gather and reminisce about the recently deceased.
But in this case, one woman held a 'living funeral' so that she could celebrate her life and share her 'love, food, books, and music' with her loved ones before passing away.
Michelle ‘Mike’ Ng was just 29 years old when she decided to host the event in her final days after she was first diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer back in 2021.
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The event was captured by media brand Our Grandfather Story (OGS) and posted on their YouTube channel, where they state that they are 'dedicated to uncovering overlooked stories across Southeast Asia', and 'hope to connect and inspire the region through genuine storytelling and candid perspectives'.
The 17-minute video covered the event, hosted in Singapore, with cutaways to an interview with Mike herself, who shared her thoughts on the process of dying, which she called 'scary', but said that death itself didn't scare her.
She also explained that when someone dies, people call the funeral directors, failing to spend 'intimate time' with the body that has passed, which she wants to give people.
After emotionally greeting a friend that she hadn't seen in years, Mike also had a moment with Annie, who checked if she had been eating, and reminded her that 'God is with us' as Mike repeated the same thing.
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She later jokes about 'descending from her throne' when leaving her recliner to get food, getting a laugh out of people, while also joking with her friend Rai, who is playing music for the party.
People from her church, friends, her brother and her boyfriend all said some emotional words on the microphone too, as Mike fought back the tears and kept a brave face throughout.
She said in one of the cutaways that she wanted death to be 'close to the heart' by having her friends and family with her at the living funeral, as it is something that happens 'day to day'.
"I don't feel resentment," the 29-year-old continued to say.
"I still don't. But I do feel a bit sad that I'm not going to be on the same trajectory as everybody else.
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"I don't get to run. I don't get to cycle. I don't get to have a family with my fiance. I don't get to look after my parents and bring them for holidays.
"I don't get to have my children mingle with my younger brother's children. Things like that."
"Not resentment, it's just, I can't be there," she shared.
She also thanked everyone for 'making her so happy', adding: "Your presence is so, so appreciated. I am grateful to hear every single laughter, to see every single smile."
Ten days after the living funeral, Mike passed away in January 2024.
Joshua Nair