Preparing for the inevitable is something we should all do, but we often leave it until it is too late. People do not like to have difficult conversations & often we do not have all of our personal, health, financial & legal affairs in order. This has become especially evident given the Covid-19 pandemic where millions of people have sadly died without having the time or opportunity to share important information & often without being able to say goodbye to loved ones.
This inability to seek answers creates a substantial amount of uncertainty & stress for our loved ones who often have to make important decisions on our behalf. TellThem4Me® records your wishes, appoints Nominees to represent you & make decisions confidently whilst reducing uncertainty & worry. It also aims to encourage people to have an ICE – In Case of Emergency Card and File, Last Will & Testament & seek professional support to get their affairs in order.
The birth of TellThem4Me®
Through my ongoing grief, I have learned that death represents new beginnings and for us that new beginning was TellThem4Me®.
On 28th September 2016, my heart was irreparably broken, and my life changed forever. I received the worst news that I have ever received, completely out of the blue. My Mom, 64-year-old, Madeline Ann Coles or ‘Maddie’ as she loved to be called, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung and liver cancer. In the blurry days that passed, my Mom agreed to chemo to extend the two weeks ‘death sentence’ she had been given.
In the precious weeks that followed, this beautiful lady, like so many before her, was poked, prodded, scanned and injected with a myriad of chemicals. Mom set out to make sure that everything was ‘in order’ and we began planning some special times together with the family and supporting her to tick off important bucket list items. Mom also told me that I did not need to worry about anything as she was sorting it all out, I respected this and gave her and my Pops the necessary space for this to take place.
Early in December 2016, Mom made the heartbreaking decision to end her ‘life extending’ treatment. Mom told me that “if this is good as it gets, it’s not good enough for me”. Albeit broken, I respected and accepted her wishes. And so, we set out to tick off as many other wishes as we could. On the morning of 25th February 2017, just 21 weeks and 4 days after diagnosis, my beautiful Mom Maddie passed away. She died at home where she wanted to be, with her loved ones.
Not all things were in order. Mom simply ran out of time.
Since that day, I have set out to find a way of helping others to ‘get things in order’. Something easy to use, something affordable, something secure, something accessible by users and their loved ones 24/7, something that can provide peace of mind and something that speak for you ‘for a time when you can’t’.