Video transcript: Jean Kittson is Dying to Talk

JEAN: Well I don’t think anyone really likes to talk about dying because it’s such a downer and I think we’re frightened of it too.

It’s like Voldemort, you know, he, you know he who should not be named.

I was always brought up in, when something difficult was happening in someone’s life you just change the subject.

You know, like: “Oh you’re uncle died, oh really, oh look a puppy.”

You know you just make it like, you just change the subject, cheer everyone up, you just don’t talk about it.

I mean, and I think in some ways it’s getting worse we don’t even call it ‘dying’ anymore, we call it by euphemisms like you know, you’re ‘passing’ or ‘moving forward’ or some other euphuism you know.

“How’s your uncle?”

“Oh you know, he’s a euphemism”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

You know like, we don’t even talk about it, we don’t even use the word ‘death’.

I see me just looking peaceful in my bed you know, maybe a block of chocolate and a book and just, yeah I’ve gone – that’s how I see my death.

I mean the courage that people who know are going the die, the terminally ill, their courage, and we owe to them to be courageous and face our own fears and to talk about it.

Transcript - Jean Kittson