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Have you heard of living funerals? Would you have one?

A living funeral is the concept of holding a party to say goodbye to someone while they’re still alive, for example if they’ve received a diagnosis of terminal illness.

As part of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4's Woman's Hour's Listener Week, listener Nelly asked us to speak about living funerals, to find out more about what they are and why some people are choosing to have them.

Jenna Satterthwaite helped arrange a living funeral for her sister, Heidi Satterthwaite, before she died last year. Heidi was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as MDS in 2018, and wanted to celebrate her life with her friends and family.

Jenna told us why she thinks that: ‘If you have the curse of advance notice, throw a party. Don’t have a funeral - it’s not as fun.’ And she shared why it was so special to pause and acknowledge how beautiful Heidi’s life was.

You can listen to the full interview with Jenna on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sounds – it’s the Woman’s Hour episode from 23 August.

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