Introduction

Hi, my name is Berni, short for Bernice, and I am living on borrowed time. I nearly died in June 1987 and again in September 2009. The reason? Cancer!

I am sitting here on the 5th of June 2011 writing this book, yet in August of 2010 I had found a priestess who could give me a pagan funeral and found and asked a dressmaker to make my shroud, I had wanted a full length dress with a hood and gone into town to find the material and been measured.

To fall in line with my beliefs, I needed a material that was mainly red and found just what I was looking for, a red and Chinese dragon printed material and had it delivered. I had asked the dressmaker to do the garment by Christmas as I didn't expect to live past Christmas, but was still aiming to go to my sister-in-law for it.

I was looking forward to my birthday party in October and feeling pretty weak. I was dying of Oesophageal Cancer and I had all the treatment that was available. All I could now do was wait to die.

Well I wasn't ready to do that so I was fighting with all I have in me. I thought I was fighting a losing battle but damn I have never given up when it really mattered, so I had no intention of starting now. This is my story and I hope that what is written here will inspire others to fight and win.