“Let’s make death a normal topic of conversation.” With that idea in mind, Lola Nouwens from Boxtel is developing an activity book that will make it easier. She has started a fundraising campaign for this and it is going really well.
Lola was 28 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. During the same period, her then partner was treated for a brain tumor. “Our mortality was suddenly no longer an abstract concept,” Lola reflects. “Wait, what if I die?” She didn’t die, but her partner did. “And that same year my bonus mother also died, completely unexpectedly.”
During that period she noticed in her environment and on social media that people find it uncomfortable to talk about this. “I just started thinking about death and what I find important and told my loved ones what wishes I have,” she says. “But some people were shocked and found it uncomfortable.”
Conversation opener
According to Lola, people do think about mortality, but they often don’t know how or where to start the conversation. That’s how she came up with the idea of writing a book on this subject.
The book she is writing is entitled ‘Far from your Deathbed Show’ and will help everyone to talk about death in a different way. “From expressing your wishes about what should happen to the things in your house when you are no longer there, to the music you would like to hear at your funeral.”
The colorful activity book explores themes such as death, our mortality and grief in a relaxed manner. “It is full of stories, questions, did you know facts and tips that make the conversation with your loved ones lighter and easier.”
At the same time, Lola emphasizes that it is not her intention to make something fun out of death. “Of course it remains a sensitive subject,” she says. With color and creativity, she wants to approach the theme with respect, so that the conversation about it becomes more accessible.
Fundraiser
Lola started a fundraising campaign for the first edition of five hundred copies. With just under a week to go, almost twelve thousand of the fifteen thousand euros have already been received.
But she is not there yet and hopes to raise the target amount within time. “The amount is only paid out when 100 percent is reached,” she explains. There is no certainty yet for the Brabant woman.
If more money comes in than the target amount, it will go towards a higher circulation, but also a Deathbed Show podcast, a website as a reference work and other creative products around this theme – “Oohh, a Deathbed Show festival?!” – are among the possibilities. “The more support, the bigger the project grows.”
